While You're Making Other Plans
by Alex The Pretty Good
Summary: When Shego is confronted with an unexpected change in her life, there's only one person she feels confident in for turning to for help...
1. Ch01 Surprise

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion (andarion . deviantart . com) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions.

* * *

_Chapter 1 - Surprise_

Shego stared at the piece of paper she was holding in her hands as if she was willing the letters on it to disappear, or at least spell out something different. The text, however, stubbornly refused to change and still conveyed the same message it did nearly an hour ago when she had first opened the letter. It almost seemed to her as if those accursed letters were mocking her, and finally, a flash of green flame engulfed the paper. Soon, only ashes remained.

_How the hell could this happen?_ she thought to herself. Well, of course she knew HOW it could happen, but how, and why, did it happen to HER?

Finally, she got up. She started to feel locked up in her quarters. She needed space, now! She picked up her duffel-bag, which she always kept handy for a quick exit, and left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Dr. D, I'm taking a vacation"

Drakken stopped tinkering with his latest device and turned around to face Shego. "What did you say?" he asked incredulously.

"I said I'm taking a vacation." Shego said irritated "You do understand English, don't you? I'm gone for the next few weeks or so. Maybe longer."

"But… but…" Drakken stammered. "You can't take a vacation. At least not now! My latest invention is nearing completion and that means that annoying teen-hero Kim Possible and her bumbling buffoon will invade our lair in the next week or so. I won't allow you to go on vacation." Drakken concluded resolutely.

"You won't?" Shego asked incredulously. Was Drakken really loosing his mind now? First he decided to go back to his incompetent "take over the world" plans, and now he actually thought he could order Shego to do something that conflicted with her plans?

"Yes, I won't! I need you now, Shego." Drakken confirmed.

"Oh, can it, Dr. D!" Shego said in an annoyed voice "You've got enough henchmen to protect your half-assed scheme against Kim Possible. Though I doubt she'll even bother to show up. After all, any time you come up with one of your evil schemes, it turns out to be a dismal failure."

"Shego!" Drakken whined. "What did we agree on about words that hurt?"

"Well, I don't care, because I'm going on vacation. Right! Now!" Shego stated.

"No, Shego! I told you, I can't allow…" Drakken's statement was cut short when Shego grabbed his collar and pulled his face close to hers. She lit her other hand and calmly said "Listen up, Dr. D. I will say this once again. I. Am. Going. On. Va-ca-tion!"

While she walked out, Shego turned around one last time. "Oh, and by the way, Dr. D." she stated.

"Yes?" Drakken asked suspiciously.

"Since you're back to taking over the world," Shego continued. "Wouldn't you at least have the decency to take off that medal they gave you for saving the world from Warmonga?"

And with those words, Shego walked out of his lair. She would never see it again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Well, that was weird." Kim Possible said, while she and Ron got into her car. Behind them, secondary explosions were tearing down the walls of the hall that had held Dr. Drakken's latest doomsday device.

"What was, KP?" Ron inquired. "Drakken's latest invention self-destructing before we actually reached it? That weird costume he was wearing? His syntho-drone bodyguard? Or his henchmen actually coming in action against us?"

"The last two, mostly." Kim replied. "But the main strangeness was that Shego was nowhere around to make things difficult for us. I mean, first they go back to a life of crime, and then, when the chips are down, we come up against syntho-drones and henchmen that were anything but first class. No offence, Ron, but you could have taken care of this sitch all by yourself."

"None taken." Ron re-assured Kim.

"So, where's Shego?" Kim mused. "Without her, Drakken is just another Dementor, and where's the fun in that?"

"Fun?" Ron asked in a surprised voice.

"Never mind." Kim said "I was just trying to get a feel for the villain's motivations."

"Getting into your college books before classes have even started, aren't we, KP?" Ron asked.

"Not every day, and only the really interesting courses." Kim said defensively. "Anyway, the main question still stays: Where was Shego? What is she up to?"

"I have no idea, KP" Ron confessed. "But it wouldn't be the first time she stuck out on her own. Especially in the last year or so, we've seen her more often without Drakken than with him."

"I still don't like it." Kim muttered. "Something weird is going on here."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shego sighed while she considered her options. In the last two weeks, she had been traveling around for places where she could gather her thoughts and hope to come up with another plan than the obvious one.

She had tried visiting the temple again, although she hadn't been observant even before that meteor messed up her life. Well, that had been a loss of time.

She had tried other churches as well, but they all left her with the same empty feeling. She had even tried to visit the wild wilderness and "get in touch with Life, the Universe and everything" but no epiphany had struck her.

She had gone as far as visiting the remains of their parental home, but the same obvious answer kept coming back to her over and over again.

And now, she was looking at Go Tower, her last sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, there was another solution. She just couldn't believe that she was even thinking of asking her stuck-up brother for help.

Shego sighed and considered the only other option she had. The one plan that had seemed logical since the very beginning. Was it really so much worse than entering that accursed tower?

Of course it wasn't! Fuck Go Tower! She may have sunk deeply, but nothing short of another blast with the Attitudinator would ever make her ask her brothers for help.

That left her with only one choice. The very same one she had so desperately sought an alternative to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a minor noise and a slight rush of air. Normal people wouldn't even have noticed it, but Kim wasn't exactly a normal person. She sat bolt upright in her bed within a second. "Who's there?" she demanded while reaching for the light switch, though the shadowy outline by her window made her expect the worst. A moment later, her room was illuminated and her suspicions were confirmed.

"Good night, Princess." The intruder said pleasantly.

"Shego!" Kim hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I need your help." The thief said.

"You WHAT!?" Kim exclaimed.

"I said I need your help, Kim. I want out. And you're the only person decent enough to help me."

"You want out?" Kim asked incredulously. "Well, that's easy. You're standing next to the window. You use it the same way you did to get in, just in the opposite direction. Good night."

"Oh, har har." Shego said sarcastically. "Don't act as if you didn't understand me."

"Well, why don't we act like I didn't understand you? What do you mean 'you want out'?" Kim pressed.

Shego gritted her teeth. She knew exactly how she felt and what she wanted to say, but actually having to say it suddenly seemed like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. She took a deep breath and started. "I want out of this life! I want to stop being a wanted criminal. I no longer want to fight you, or any other law enforcer for that matter. I want to earn a chance at living a normal life. I want to cut a deal: my knowledge for immunity. If needed, I'm even willing to 'pay my debt to society'." Shego nearly spat out the last phrase and she actually used air-quotes while saying it.

For a moment, Kim sat in silent surprise Shego actually turning herself in? She must be dreaming. She quickly regained her composure, though. This just had to be some kind of trick.

"So," Kim asked. "What in the world made you decide to stop your life as a criminal? What makes this time so much different from a few months ago, when you got a medal in front of the whole UN? You got hit by the Attitudinator again?"

"Hell no!" Shego said indignantly. "Did you at any moment hear me giggle like a love-sick school girl? No, this is the real me!"

"And the real you just got up this morning and decided she'd stop being a criminal and would become the bestest friends ever with Kim Possible and everything would be zip-a-dee-doo-da Happily Ever After?" Kim mocked.

"Of course not!" Shego growled. "Did you miss the part about doing time? Besides, I never mentioned being friends with you!"

"I guess it got drowned out by the whole 'I want' litany. Somehow, that just didn't sound like the confession of a remorseful criminal" Kim countered.

"Look," Shego said calmly. "You and I both know that I'm no Ghandi, but that doesn't make me a Jeffrey Dahmer or Bin Laden either. I've never been one for fancy words, and I tell it like it is. That doesn't make me any less serious in my desire to get out, though."

Kim considered Shego's words. She was nearly convinced that Shego spoke the truth, but she was also certain there was something Shego wasn't telling her. An essential piece of information that would explain why Shego had made such a pivotal decision.

"Well Shego," Kim stated "I think you've got to tell it like it is then. If you want me to believe you, you've got to do better than such a half-assed sob-story. I know there's something you're not telling me. So cut to the chase and tell me why I should believe you."

_Dammit_! Shego silently cursed. She had hoped she could have kept that info secret. At least for the time being. But somehow, she had known Kim would keep on digging. That little crime fighter was nothing, if not persistent.

_Well, here we go_, Shego said to herself while she took a deep breath and said those three words she'd never have thought would come out of her mouth.

"Kim, I'm pregnant."

-- _End of Chapter 1_--


	2. Ch02 Changes

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion (andarion . deviantart . com) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions.

AN: As you can see, this chapter is a little longer than the previous one. I hope this will be acceptable for most of you. Thanks to you all for the feedback so far. Some questions will be answered here, others… not.

* * *

_Chapter 2 - Change_

"YOU'RE WHAT?!" Kim exclaimed incredulously

"Pregnant. Expecting. Knocked up. I've got a bun in the oven." Shego said slightly irritated.

"Bu-but… Who… Wha… Why… How… Whe…" Kim stammered.

"Yeah, keep that up for an hour or so, and you'll be where I was about two weeks ago." Shego commented

"Sorry," Kim apologized. "It's just… You getting pregnant… It's just not… I mean, you never struck me the type to..." Suddenly, Kim started to blush and she slapped her hands over her mouth. "I'm sorry. I was way out of line there. It's not my place to say anything about those aspects of your private life."

"No, it's OK." Shego said. "You're right. I really am not the type of person you'd think of when contemplating motherhood."

"So," Kim started cautiously "Who's..."

"The father?" Shego finished for Kim.

The redhead was feeling so embarrassed for asking that question her face nearly matched her hair. She could only nod to confirm Shego's question.

"Damned if I know." Shego admitted "It was a crazy weekend."

"Wait, you don't…" Kim remembered herself and cut of her phrase, once again blushing furiously. Who'd have thought she would forget all about courtesy?

"No, I don't know." Shego stated simply "And I wouldn't care anyway, because whoever daddy dearest is, believe me if I tell you he won't win an award for 'world's best dad' anytime soon."

"So it isn't… er … Drakken?" Kim asked hesitantly.

"Hell no!" Shego exclaimed. "I've still got some sense of self-worth! Can you even imagine me sharing a bed with that doofus?"

"Well, the two of you were awfully cozy when you received those medals." Kim said defensively.

"That was only because I couldn't use my powers on him in front of the whole UN." Shego muttered. "Anyway, it was mostly that stupid flower of his that put us in that predicament, and the damned thing fortunately wilted within a week. And if it hadn't, I would probably personally have ripped it out of him. Damn annoying plant!"

Kim decided she'd better change the subject.

"So, Shego Jr. is the reason you want to get out?" Kim asked.

"Damn right!" Shego answered. "Listen, I know that I'm not exactly the very model of the all-American apple-pie baking stay-at-home Mom, but I'll be damned if my child will have to suffer because of me. A month ago, I wouldn't even have thought about taking care of a baby, but now, being a responsible mother is the only thing I can think about. I won't condemn my baby to the life of a fugitive. I can't just drop of the radar and take up a new identity either. I'd die from worry that some over-zealous cop would recognize me and arrest me, or worse, put me in a hospital, while my baby would be at home without anybody to look after her. And I won't give her up either. This might be the only good thing I'll ever do in life and damn it if I'm not gonna be there for her for the full 100 percent!"

Kim was pretty surprised by the vehemence in Shego's voice. She had heard it say before that a mother could be as protective as a lioness guarding her cubs, but she had never seen an example in real life. "You really thought it all through, didn't you?" she asked.

Shego sat herself on the edge of Kim's bed and let out a deep sigh. The fire seemed to have seeped out of her.

"Yeah, I did." She confirmed. "I must get out of this life, Kim. You've always lived a sheltered life, and even as a hero, you've taken on the big crazies, never the everyday evil. You've got no idea what it can be like in the real dark underbelly of modern society. The constant evil that apparently perfectly normal people are capable of. You wouldn't believe what people are willing to let happen, sometimes even are eager to do, to innocent children when they let their selfishness and desires get the better of them. I'd die before I would expose my baby to such a life! I'm a criminal, but I'm not a monster!"

Shego pulled up her knees and locked her arms around them while repeating apparently to no one in particular "I'm not a monster…. I'm not a freak... not a monster… not a monster… not a freak…"

For a moment, Kim completely forgot who was sitting in front of her. The only thing she saw, was a scared and hurt person. She acted instinctively and did the only thing she could logically do. She embraced the woman while stroking her hair and reassuring her. "Of course you aren't. And we will see this through together. I'm here to help you. Don't worry."

Neither of the two young women remembered afterward how long they sat like that.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You've _got_ to be kidding me!" Dr. Director looked sternly at the young woman sitting in front of her, but the subject of her ire didn't move a muscle. The head of Global Justice picked up the package of papers that had been handed to her an hour before and slapped it with her free hand. "Guaranteed custody over the child! A prior agreed on incarceration period for confessed crimes. House arrest for the duration of said incarceration period! Immunity for non-confessed crimes that don't exceed confessed crimes in severity! Monthly allowance to be available from a pre-determined account! Tax immunity for all other accounts that are voluntarily surrendered! Withdrawal of all foreign charges once the incarceration period has been completed! I'd love to explain that one to my international colleagues. Oh, and my personal favorite: Unlimited visitation rights by Kimberly Ann Possible!"

"Hey, I didn't add that one to the list!" Kim said in surprise.

"Honestly, the woman is an internationally wanted thief, counterfeiter and general hired muscle, and you are surprised she messed around with a simple document on your computer?" Dr. Director asked while arching an eyebrow.

"Well, I guess I shouldn't be." Kim chuckled. "I'm more surprised by what it said, though. Why would Shego want me to visit her? I'm the one who has put her behind bars more often than anybody else."

"Maybe she'd like to have somebody to talk with about those good old times." Dr. Director suggested.

"Yeah, or else she just wants to know there would be somebody who's not a guard who comes to visit her." Kim mused. "After all, I don't think she'll be very popular once you accept her deal."

"_IF_ I accept her deal." Dr. Director corrected Kim.

"Oh, come on, we both know you're going to accept it." Kim said nearly dismissively. "She practically hands you all the currently active mad scientists and general take-over-the-world plotters on a silver platter. And no matter how much you dislike her conditions, you know you'll never get a better deal"

Betty grumbled because she knew Kim was right, but she'd be damned if she would give in so easily, even though Kim had set up a water-tight deal. That kid was getting too clever for her own good, it seemed.

"Well," Dr. Director said. "One thing is certain. Shego _is_ pregnant. I've ordered two independent check-ups and they both concluded the same: she's in her third month of pregnancy. So at least, her cover story is real."

"Of course it's real." Kim replied. "Why else do you think she's sitting in your medical ward right now without making any moves to break out?"

"Well, probably because of those armed guards and closed-circuit cameras around her?" Betty suggested.

"Oh, please!" Kim scoffed "As if those would hold her in if she was determined to get out of there"

Kim was seeing what Dr. Director was getting at. She tried to downplay Shego's goodwill and stress her status as a dangerous fugitive to get out of certain parts of the deal. No way would she let that happen. She had spent hours haggling with Shego and she wouldn't let Dr. Director undermine what she had done.

"Look." Kim stressed. "I made Shego a promise. I would treat her decently and I would see to it that her interests would be respected. I drafted this deal as a representative of GJ, a position, I remind you, you've been trying to push on me for several months now. According to you, I'm the specialist on Drakken and Shego. Well, this means I know when Shego has been beaten to a standstill. I also know when she will continue to fight, and believe me, closing this deal was as much of a fight as any physical confrontation I've ever been involved in with her."

"And who's to say that I wouldn't have been able to negotiate the same deal with her? Or even a better one?" Dr. Director countered.

"How many of her accounts did you know of?" Kim asked.

"Thirteen." Dr. Director admitted.

"Wade was able to turn up twenty within a day. If I hadn't offered the tax-deal to her, you'd never see a single dime of any of those accounts. And that's just one bit of information I knew about her I could use for the negotiations. And finally, there's one more reason why my deal is the best you'll get. Shego came to me, not you, not GJ headquarters. Whatever you may think of her, Shego is proud. She's a fighter. Even her surrender will take place on her conditions, and those conditions happen to be through me. Now you've got the choice, accept the deal, or spend the next seven months trying to chase a hormone-laden super-powered woman… Or maybe even confront a super-powered mother-and-child team in a few years from now. I think I should also state that I will resolutely refuse to fight a pregnant woman."

Kim crossed her arms and awaited Dr. Director's reply.

Betty looked at the teenager in front of her and couldn't help but admire her disposition and commitment to a promise made. "And what guarantees do we have that she will honor this deal?" she finally asked. "After all, she's had a chance to leave her life of crime behind before, when both she and Dr. Drakken got rewarded for their part in the fight against Warmonga and Warhok."

"A valid question." Kim admitted. "One I asked her as well, I might add."

Betty leaned forward on her desk. "And what did she answer you?" she pressed, meanwhile thinking _This is gonna be good_.

"Well, it seems that you, or at least international law enforcers, have forgotten a tiny little detail back then." Kim explained. "You see, when you honor ex-criminals for their selfless fight against an alien invasion, and then expect them to stay on the good side of the law, it helps if you grant them amnesty."

"What do you mean?" Dr. Director asked suspiciously.

"Exactly what I said." Kim deadpanned. "All the search warrants against them were still in effect. Their official accounts frozen. Any time either of them tried to use their personal data, red flags went up and law enforcement agencies were alerted of their presence. It's kinda difficult to live a life outside of the shadows if everybody is reminded of your current status as an internationally wanted fugitive. After a few weeks of this kind of treatment, both of them gave up on even trying to do things the right way. Shego would have been perfectly happy to just have lived off her accounts somewhere below the radar, but Drakken felt himself heavily slighted. According to Shego, he was all '_so they think I'm a deranged criminal? I'll give them deranged criminal!_' and he began to flesh out his latest doomsday device."

"But that's impossible." Betty protested. "When they had their medal ceremony, I was in a conference-call with the heads of the most important international law enforcement agencies and we decided that we'd suspend their search warrants to see how they'd deal with their new-found recognition."

"And you ordered the search-warrants to be lifted?" Kim asked.

"Well, since we're technically not a representative of any government, GJ doesn't have the power to either issue, nor withdraw search-warrants. We can only act on existing search-warrants." Dr. Director explained.

"And the other law enforcers, they withdrew theirs then?" Kim continued.

Betty thought for a while. "Let's think, there was Interpol and Europol, they don't issue warrants either. A representative of the UN Safety Council. And the FBI. And they do issue and withdraw search warrants."

"But only US Federal warrants." Kim argued. Betty nodded. "So that means that as far as we know, none of the state level warrants, nor the international warrants have been lifted, have they?" Kim concluded.

"They should have been!" Betty protested. "There were so many top level agencies on that conf-call. Somebody must have informed the relevant parties, or at least checked that the warrants were lifted!"

"Did you?" Kim asked.

"Well, no." Dr. Director admitted. "But we were swamped with work to recover from the damage of the invasion." She said defensively. "Anyway, there were others on that conf-call as well, surely one of them…"

"Would have seen to it." Kim finished Betty's sentence. "And considering the world-wide scale of damage and other things to do, each one of them was comfortable that somebody else would do the job, so in the end nobody does the job." Kim sighed. "I've seen this happening in cheer-squad or during class assignments. But international law-enforcers?!"

"They could have contacted us!" Dr. Director said defensively.

"Yeah, right." Kim said sarcastically while miming to hold a phone. "_Hello, Global Justice? Yes, this is Shego, the internationally wanted criminal. I'd like to ask a few things of your boss. Yes, I'll hold while you trace my call_."

"I see your point." Dr. Director sighed. "But there's still the matter that they did decide to return to a life of crime in stead of laying low. Plus, there are other ways to contact me or one of my colleagues that can't be traced in real time. E-mail, normal mail, message drop-off, or even walking into the bed-room of a known associate of GJ, a method Shego seemed to have no problem with when she found herself in something of a personal predicament." She concluded, while intently looking at Kim.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shego looked up when somebody opened the door to the examination-room. Kim entered, flanked by two armed GJ guards. "Can you please leave us alone for a while?" Kim asked.

The guard in charge looked at her doubtfully "I don't know I can do that Ma'am. She's a highly dangerous fugitive and has, over the years, sent several of my colleagues to this very medical ward. If we were to leave the two of you alone, I wouldn't be able to guarantee your safety."

"Excuse me..." Kim gave a quick glance at the guard's rank-insignia "… Sergeant, but do you remember who brought her here in the first place? Do you know how often I confronted her _without_ ending up in a medical ward?"

The guard only nodded mutedly.

"Well then, do you think that your presence in this room would make a big difference?" Kim pressed.

The guard shook his head.

"So I ask you once again," Kim continued "Could you give us a moment of privacy, please?"

"Yes, Ma'am." The guard replied. "My partner and I will be just outside the door."

"Thank you." Kim said as she walked towards Shego.

"Well?" Shego asked tensely.

"She accepted the full deal." Kim said with a broad smile.

"No conditions?" Shego pressed.

"Only some of those we already anticipated." Kim re-assured the now ex-thief.

Shego let out a huge sigh of relief, and only then realized she had been holding her breath in anticipation of Kim's news. "So which 'concessions' did you make on my behalf?" Shego asked while grinning.

"Well, for starters, you're to stay in GJ's medical ward for the remainder of the pregnancy and until you and the baby get a clean bill of health." Kim stated.

Shego gave a short laugh. "As if I would want to miss the chance of being treated by some of the finest military doctors on American soil. And all paid for by the tax-payer no less."

"Hey, take it easy." Kim said with mock-indignity. "My parents and Ron and I happen to belong to those tax-payers."

"Oh well," Shego countered. "At least you'll know what _some_ of your money will be spent on. So, what else?"

"Once you get the house-arrest, GJ is willing to arrange everything for the witness protection program, except the finances of your premises." Kim explained. "I believe the exact words of Dr. Director were: _If she wants to support a family with only one of her ill-gotten accounts, she can use that same account for her housing_."

"You're kidding, right?" Shego said suspiciously.

"Nope. Dead serious." Kim confirmed. "You can ask her yourself when we get into her office She'll confirm it."

"Yeah, and her confirming that you won the bet won't have anything to do with the fact that you're her favorite potential new agent." Shego said sarcastically.

"Actually, I seriously doubt my status as her favorite at the moment. I used some pretty harsh language in there." Kim grinned.

"Oh, you did, did you?" Shego asked. "Well, I'll just have to see for myself anyway. So, which account did you manage to secure for me?"

"The Cayman account of Miss Cheryl Goldman." Kim informed her

Shego snapped her fingers out of minor frustration. "Couldn't you secure the Goldman account in Luxembourg? Euros are more stable than Dollars lately."

"Sorry, Shego." Kim apologized "You win some, you loose some. Dr. Director knew about the Luxembourg account and also knew the exact balance on it and she was absolutely unwilling to give you access to those funds. It did make her wonder how Dr. Drakken was able to pay you so much, though."

"Trade secret, Kimmie." Shego said. "Oh well, it's not as if that account will turn me into a pauper." Shego sighed.

"It certainly won't." Kim confirmed. "I seriously doubt that I will ever be able to see so much money on my account."

"You could if you started charging for your hero-work." Shego teased.

"Oh, don't go all Ron on me." Kim said slightly irritated. "Let's go. I guess that Dr. Director is eagerly awaiting your visit. You've got some papers to sign and a whole lot of statements to give."

Kim and Shego got up and walked out of the examination room. Shego gave a quick look at the walls, painted in typical hospital greenish-yellow. _I hope I'll be able to get used to that horrible color_, she thought,_ because I'll be looking at it for a long time_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, how was Freshman Orientation?" Shego asked while lounging in a lazy chair. She was housed in an observation room close to the medical ward, but Dr. Director had given her permission to provide her own interior, on the condition she paid for it herself. As a result, Kim was now sitting in a very comfortable black couch and looking at what appeared to be the most luxurious cell on the American continent. Talk about a gilded cage.

"Hectic." She stated shortly. For two weeks, Kim had been running around at her university, trying to juggle getting used to campus-life, going to classes, having a social life _and_ having an off-campus boyfriend. Needless to say, there had been precious little time left, and none whatsoever to travel to GJ headquarters and visit a convicted criminal.

"I see that you have had a few busy days as well?" Kim stated while indicating the room they were staying in.

Shego chuckled. "Yeah, I think those guys from the on-line store have had the strangest delivery order ever: _just leave it on the center court of the abandoned baseball stadium._ I wonder how surprised they were when they noticed that 10 minutes after delivery, everything had disappeared."

"And you actually got Dr. Director to assign you men to help you move all that stuff?" Kim asked incredulously.

"Volunteer, Kim. Volunteer." Shego corrected her. "But then again, our dear friend, the Mighty Dollar, is quite good at convincing people to volunteer. Especially when the money is now officially white."

Kim shook her head while smiling at Shego's statement.

"But enough about me getting settled," Shego said. "Tell me about you. What were your first classes like and why the heck did you decide to take up Criminal Sciences? You actually think there's something you can learn from those old stiffs in the lecture room?"

"I don't think that me studying Criminal Sciences is any weirder than you having a degree in Child Development." Kim said defensively. "Anyway, the curriculum seems to be a lot more interesting than the average villain I take on. After all, other than psychology, there's not a lot you need to know to understand them. Of all criminals I've taken on, you've always been the only really interesting one."

"I was?" Shego asked a little surprised.

"Oh yeah." Kim confirmed. "Burglary, destruction of property, counterfeiting, violent personality, and so on… you're practically a full bachelor's program wrapped in one."

Shego looked at Kim, wondering whether she was joking or not. "Thanks… I guess"

"So not the drama." Kim said exaggerated… and started to snicker.

Shego couldn't help herself and she too started to laugh, causing Kim to finally burst out in laughter as well.

After a few moments of healthy laughing, Shego wiped a tear from her eye. "Seriously, though." she said, "I can understand why you would be interested in this study. I just hope it won't turn you into some pencil pusher for a big law-firm or something like that. You've got way more potential."

"Thanks." Kim said gratefully. "And just to put your mind at ease, I do have bigger plans."

"Good for you." Shego congratulated Kim "So, should Dr. Director already start looking for 'help wanted' ads?"

"Actually, I don't know for sure that I would be interested in a permanent career for GJ." Kim confessed.

Shego was actually surprised by this confession of Kim's and sat upright in her chair. "Seriously?" she asked.

"Well, yeah..." Kim said a little insecure. "That whole story you told me when you came to my place at first. The thing about the 'dark underbelly of society' as you called it. You were right, you know. I _have_ always lived a protected life and don't know a lot about what goes on elsewhere. In the last weeks, I spent a lot of time on the internet, and by God, there's a lot that still needs to be done, and it certainly _is_ so the drama. So I spent some time looking at recruitment pages of the websites of several law-enforcement agencies. I don't know exactly who or where, but at the moment, I feel I can do more good when working for the FBI, Interpol or something like them, and leave the kicking mad scientist ass to the young and reckless. I guess that by the time I graduate, Ron's little sister will probably enjoy taking over my job."

Shego looked at Kim for a while. She then stood up and walked over to her, cupped her head in her hands and looked Kim deep in the eyes. "I never thought I'd say this, but I sincerely hope that you will succeed gloriously in your chosen law-enforcing career"

--_End of Chapter 2_—

Next: the friendship between Kim and Shego deepens and an answer to Kim's question at the beginning of this chapter.


	3. Ch03 Business as Usual

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion ( andarion . deviantart . com ) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions.

AN: So here we are with the next chapter. I hope this wait was acceptable for the majority amongst you. I'll try to keep an update schedule of 7 to 10 days. No promises though ;) Once again thanks for the reviews, it's the stuff that keeps one motivated to continue writing.

* * *

_Chapter 3 – Business as Usual_

Ron checked his parachute while he continued talking to Kim "I still don't believe you actually went to visit her." he said "I know she wanted you to have the possibility, but I would never have expected you to actually make use of it."

Kim looked up from her own parachute. "She's lonely Ron. You know that as long as we aren't ready with all the information she's given us, GJ can't risk having her interact with regular prisoners and possibly warn the villain community that Shego is now a liability to them. If it weren't for me, she'd be sitting there alone in her gilded cage, only having an occasional debriefing with Dr. Director or some other GJ official. Nobody deserves such a treatment."

"I still don't like it" Ron stated firmly. "How can we be sure that her information is reliable? She turned tail on us before; she's liable to do it again;"

"I've explained both you and Dr. Director what happened last summer." Kim said irritated, "And I'm not gonna explain it to you again. Besides, this isn't the first time that Shego has been helpful."

"Don't remind me." Ron muttered. "That sitch was as awkweird as it could be. But at least we knew that she was on the side of good then."

"And this time she _chose_ to do the right thing." Kim stressed "Not some mind-altering technology which leaves you imprisoned in your own mind. Anyway, this mission isn't based on Shego's information, but on intel GJ gathered while they apprehended Dementor."

"And Dementor's capture was based on Shego's information, wasn't it?" Ron asked.

"Indeed." Kim confirmed, while she closed her parachute and strapped it to her back.

Ron also put on his parachute. "So that's why we're accompanied by a detachment of GJ agents?" he asked while he double-checked Kim's parachute.

Kim looked at the GJ agents who were also busy inspecting each other's jumping gear while Ron turned around so she could check his. "That's right." She confirmed. "According to the team that captured Dementor, he was talking with somebody who could be traced to this region. They couldn't make out what he was talking about, because he spoke German and in code, but he clearly was excited about something, so Dr. Director suspects that he was planning something big." She gave Ron a slap on his shoulder. "You're OK to jump." She confirmed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The house stood isolated in a patch of woods. According to the maps, it shouldn't even be there. Kim and Ron crept closer to the building, looking for a way in. "I still don't understand why the two of us are going in alone while we have a detachment of GJ agents waiting back there." Ron muttered.

"Because a small group has more chance of getting in unnoticed than a large team." Kim whispered back "The GJ team will be covering all possible exit routes so they'll be able to capture whoever is in that building."

"And why are we the 'small group'?" Ron asked. "Couldn't their leader appoint some of his men?"

"Well, er…" Kim actually blushed. "That would be because I volunteered."

"Okay, that explains it," Ron replied "Except why you volunteered."

"Look," Kim said "I haven't seen action in nearly a month now, what with Shego, college and all. I just had to do something myself again, in stead of standing at the side-lines."

"Hey, that's OK, KP. You know, whatever happens, I'm there at your side." Ron re-assured.

Kim gave Ron a quick smile. "Thanks." She simply said. She pulled out her Kimmunicator and looked at a 3D projection of the building, based on the scan she had made shortly before. After a while, she pointed out an open window on the far side of the building. "That's our entry point." She stated. Ron nodded and they quickly crept to forward.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hank Perkins was deeply buried in his files. Work had skyrocketed in the last weeks. He didn't really understand how it was possible that so many villains had gotten themselves arrested in such a short period, but it certainly was good for business… well, his business that is. The captured villains probably thought differently, as did the remaining villains who were paying top-dollar for his services.

"Hank the Temp?" a voice suddenly interrupted his work. He looked up and saw Kim Possible standing on his desk. "What the…?!" he exclaimed.

Instinctively he jumped from his chair and ran over to his computer. _Panic button! Now!_ he frantically thought but to his horror, he heard the disturbing silence of a computer that has suddenly been turned off. When he looked at the wall, he saw Ron, shaking his feet to loose the tangle of wires he had just tripped over. "Er… sorry about that" he actually excused himself.

"Nooo!" Hank screamed. "This is unacceptable!"

"Accept it, temp-boy" Kim said matter-of-factly. "You are wanted for questioning by Global Justice. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Hank had moved away from Kim, and suddenly ran towards the fire-axe hanging next to the door. He smashed the glass, grabbed the axe and turned towards the computer, where Ron had just managed to shake the last cable from his legs. "Why does it always have to be the hard way?" Ron complained while he assumed a defensive position, keeping the desk between himself and Hank.

Kim, however, quickly saw that Hank wasn't interested in her boyfriend, but in the computer he had ran to in the first place. "Ron!" she yelled. "Save that computer!" and she jumped from the desk to block Hank's access to the computer. Hank wildly swung the axe with the blunt side in an attempt to chase away Kim, but the nimble woman avoided his wide swings and kept blocking his way. Ron, meanwhile, had also understood that Hank was trying to destroy the computer, so he quickly picked up the computer and jumped backwards; making sure that the desk was between him and the madman with the axe. "I got it, KP!" he yelled while the computer's screen, printer and anything else that was still connected to it fell to the ground.

Hank looked at his opponents and realized he had been beaten. "Damn!" he yelled as he swung aside the axe. He ran to the nearest exit and slammed on a button next to the door. Kim and Ron heard a familiar beeping noise coming from inside the desk Hank had been working on and looked at each other. "Uh Oh!" came a voice from out of Ron's hip pocket while the two teens ran towards the window and jumped out of the building. A few moments later, a dull bang sounded from the room and dust and smoke came floating out of the window.

"Are you okay, Miss Possible?" a concerned voice asked.

Kim looked at the GJ agent who had come running towards them when he had seen them jumping out of the building. "We're okay!" Kim re-assured him. "But quickly, somebody extinguish that fire! His desk was full of paperwork that was important enough to need destruction!"

The GJ agent didn't waste time and signaled back-up while he rushed into the building to see what could be salvaged. Kim looked at Ron and was relieved to see that he was still firmly holding on to the computer. "What about Hank?" Ron asked.

The answer to that question came in the form of the indignant cries coming from the other side of the building. "Looks like he ran into the hands of GJ." Kim said.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kim and Ron were standing next to Dr. Director as she looked at the most recent prisoner in GJ Headquarters. "Any news?" Kim asked.

"He's stubbornly keeping silent." Dr. Director sighed. "He absolutely refuses to give us any idea what all those letters were about and what kind of information we might expect to find on that PC. He keeps demanding his attorney, accusing the two of you of housebreaking and burglary."

"I thought that there wasn't supposed to be a house there?" Kim remarked.

"Good point." Betty smiled. "Anyway, our techs are working on extracting the hard disk, but that PC has some pretty sophisticated safety measures. It's fortunate that we have something to work with at all. There was a panic button connected to it that would have blown up the hard disk with a simple push, if Mr. Stoppable hadn't accidentally disconnected the electricity."

"Boo-yah!" Ron exalted. "Score one for the Ron-Factor!"

Kim smiled while Betty looked back at the interrogation room. "Anyway" she continued, "While our tech department tries to get access to the data on that PC, we must find a way to get Mr. Perkins talking so they can crack the codes he used. I guess it's time to increase the pressure." She finished, while she walked into the interrogation room, mentioning Kim and Ron to follow her.

Hank looked at the new person walking into the interrogation room, and immediately recognized her. "You!" He exclaimed "You look like somebody in charge! Why am I being held here against my will? I demand to see my lawyer!" When he saw the two teens entering the interrogation room he jumped up. "They broke into my house! They tried to do me harm! They stole my property! Arrest them!"

"Just calm down, Mr. Perkins." Dr. Director said coolly. "I promise you, you will soon see your lawyer. As a matter of fact, you will probably see more of him than you'd like, considering the size of your criminal record. I guess that it's going to be a long trial."

"Trial?" Hank exclaimed indignantly. "Criminal record? What are you talking about? They broke into _my_ house. Without a search warrant, I might add!"

"Ah, yes. Your house." Betty said "An interesting fact that. There is no record of any building on that location, not even an application for a building permit. Your official residence is elsewhere, and search warrants are only required for official residences or places of business. So, not only could that building be entered without a search warrant, but you owning it, as you have repeatedly stated on tape now, is also an infraction on zoning laws. But don't worry; you won't be going to trial for that. You will be tried for earlier crimes."

"What do you mean?" Hank asked suspiciously. The fight had started to seep out of him when he looked at Dr. Director's impassionate face.

Betty took a sheet of paper from her pocket and started to read off some points. "Assault on minors. Kidnapping and imprisonment of minors. Threatening minors with the intention to commit bodily harm." She looked up from the sheet and at Hank. "I guess that will keep your lawyer busy for quite some while, don't you?"

"But I've never done such a thing!" He protested.

"Really?" Betty asked "Then why do I have the sworn testimony by 5 people that you did exactly that, two and a half years ago, when you were in the service of Dr. Drew Lipsky, aka Dr. Drakken?"

"Those two weren't minors even then!" Hank protested while he pointed at Kim and Ron. "And on top of that, _they_ broke into the property of Dr. Drakken!"

"Who's talking about Miss Possible or Mr. Stoppable here?" Betty asked sweetly. "Did you just admit to additional crimes, Mr. Perkins?"

Hank shut his mouth and looked defiantly at Dr. Director.

"I wasn't talking about either of those two." She continued. "The testimony I refer to concerns the kidnapping of James Preston Possible and Timothy Aaron Possible, both aged 10 at the time. I don't think I need to remind you that prison life can be very hard for somebody who has been convicted of the kidnapping of children." Betty concluded with an icy voice. "So, are you ready to talk about the codes you used on the materials we secured from your office?"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Shego was flanked by two GJ agents when she walked into the room where Kim and Dr. Director were awaiting her. All around them people were working on the load of paper that had been secured from Hank Perkins' office. Some pages were hardly singed, but others were nearly fully consumed by fire, and it was a work of minute detail to manage to correlate one paper with another. Dr. Director finished discussing with one of her aides and then looked at Shego. "Ah, Miss Shego," she said pleasantly "So nice of you to join us. Please, have a seat."

"It's not like I have a lot of choice in the matter." Shego muttered while she sat down.

"Oh, I think that in this matter, you do have a choice, Shego." Kim grinned. Dr. Director shot Kim a quick annoyed look, as if the younger woman had played the wrong card. She took a bundle of slightly singed paper and handed it to Shego. "Could you shed any light on what these are, Miss Shego?" she asked.

Shego read the three pages of chronological facts and two carefully worded letters. When she laid the papers down, her face was an image of calm serenity. Too calm in Dr. Director's opinion. "These are what most people call 'application letters'" Shego said while pushing the two letters aside. She then showed Betty the other pages and continued. "And this is what is commonly known as a 'curriculum'. People use them to search for jobs." She finished while laying the pages on top of the application letters.

"Very clever." Dr. Director grumbled while Kim fought to hide a smile. "The question is: _what are they application letters for_? I find it hard to believe that Mr. Perkins was handling dozens, if not hundreds, of these applications from a secret location to broker a job for a…" Betty picked up the nearest application letter "butler with experience in the preparation of cocktails and garden maintenance." She looked intently at woman sitting in front of her. "So pray tell me, Miss Shego, what's so important about these letters that he was willing to attack Miss Possible with a deadly weapon in the hope of destroying these papers and his computer?"

Shego gasped at the description Dr. Director had just given and couldn't help looking at Kim with worry in her eyes. "He only used the blunt end of the axe." Kim said calmly. "And he didn't put his shoulders in his swing. So not the drama!"

Shego looked more closely at the desk the three of them were sitting at. The whole surface of the desk was covered with dozens of packets like the one Dr. Director had just handed her, and apparently, elsewhere in the room were more desks with more papers. "How many of these applications do you have?" she asked, intrigued by the sheer quantity.

"So far, my people have identified applications or CVs for nearly one hundred distinct individuals." Dr. Director said. "And at the moment they've treated less than half of the mostly intact papers."

Shego gave a small whistle.

"So this is important?" Betty pressed.

"Oh, it's big, all right." Shego admitted. "So the most important question at the moment is… what's in it for me?"

"Shego!" Kim exclaimed.

"How about a new identity, witness protection, tax immunity and such?" Dr. Director said curtly.

"Ah, but you see, I've already got those things." Shego said while leaning back in her chair. She was in her element now. "This has nothing to see with that deal we made. I never gave you any information on the whereabouts of Mr. Perkins; I didn't even know he was still in the biz. This is a whole new matter, so I repeat my question… what's in it for me?"

"This is not the time to play games." Dr. Director countered. "Mr. Perkins was apprehended less than five hours ago, so at the moment, it's a safe bet that nobody even knows about this information being in the hands of GJ. If this information is important, I will need to mobilize teams to deal with it while the leads are still warm."

"Tut tut tut…. Madam Director." Shego admonished while shaking her finger. "That was a rookie mistake. You've just shown you're desperate for an answer. I would have expected better from an experienced player like you."

"What I just did was stress the importance of rapid intel." Betty corrected. "If this information grows cold, it's worth nothing for anybody any more. And that includes you."

She looked at Shego, who in her turn tried to assess how far she could drive Dr. Director. Before either of them could continue, however, Kim interrupted. "Shego, why don't you tell us why you think this is big without providing additional info? It's clear that these letters are set up in some kind of code. You don't have to crack the code for us to confirm our suspicions about them. I promise you that I'll do everything in my power to have GJ recognize you for that information"

Shego looked at Kim and saw her eyes shine with honest hope. "Fine!" she sighed, "But know that you've just spoiled several minutes of fun for me." She once again picked up the application letter she had first received and explained. "They are real application letters and curriculums. But they are written in code, because these are applications for the positions of hench-men. _Preparing cocktails_, for instance means demolitions and _garden work_, if I'm not mistaken, means observation and stake-outs."

"And butler means _agent_ or something like that?" Kim guessed.

"Second-in-command, actually." Shego corrected. She opened her arms to indicate all the papers lying on the various desks. "These applications represent enough men to serve three or four would-be super villains. I guess there's been quite some unemployment in the last few weeks."

This time, it was Kim's turn to whistle. Dr. Director, however, had stayed calm during the whole explanation of Shego. "It is as I suspected then." she simply stated. "Shego, we will need your help to crack the codes, so we can identify the most dangerous hench-men and go after them first."

"Huh, what?" Shego asked in surprise.

"Well, it's clear that you know this code." Betty explained. "And we need to get these men behind bars. It is as you said: they will be able to help several dangerous villains. They are the teeth of the mad scientists and would-be dictators. These men are a clear and present danger to the safety of innocent citizens! I'll assign you one of my most trusted aides so we can have a priority list by this time tomorrow."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Shego said. "Back down a moment there, Madam Director. I gave you the information Kim asked me for, as a show of good faith. I didn't agree to actually work for you! Besides, the only time I treated job applications was shortly after that business with Warmonga. That's more than a year ago, and most codes will have changed in the meantime. Even _if_ I did agree to help you, and I seriously doubt that you can pay my services, I will never be able to identify a list of priorities within a day."

"You won't be working alone." Dr. Director explained "You'll have some very sharp-minded people to delegate who will do the actual cross-referencing. After a while, it will only be a matter of filling in the blanks. And as for your payment, GJ has access to and authority over several of your surrendered bank accounts."

"So you'd be paying me from my own money?" Shego asked incredulously.

"Actually, that's Uncle Sam's money now, but essentially, yes." Betty confirmed. She then took a sheet of blank paper and wrote down a number of it and slid it over to Shego. "Have that list of priorities ready by tomorrow and you'll have the amount free of taxes."

Shego picked up the paper, looked at it and gave a wry grin. A short burst of green flame quickly engulfed the paper. "You're joking right? That's hardly enough for risking getting those men angry with me and my baby. And on top of that, you make the payment dependent on the effectivity of your people. Two percent of the amount you specified per cracked code, the two I gave you are a present, fifty percent of the amount as a bonus if we have that priority list ready by the time you specified plus one percent per identified address."

"For that amount, I could just wait until my techs are ready accessing the computer's hard drive." Betty stated. "Then we'll also have the codes."

Shego shook her head "These codes are verbal communication only. No keys written down. So you won't find it on his PC."

"Then why would he have been so determined to destroy that PC?" Kim wondered.

"Financial traffic." Shego explained "It'll probably contain information about accounts and transactions." She looked at Dr. Director "In short, fun facts for your financial experts, but not something that will give you a priority list by the time you asked."

Betty motioned her aide. When he was close enough, Betty asked "How many specific code phrases have we identified by now?" she asked.

The aide looked at his notepad. "84 specific codes, either in the application letters or in the skills, madam Director." He informed her "Also, we have at the moment identified coded addresses of 137 distinct individuals"

"Thank you Frank." Betty said while she made a mental calculation. She folded her hands and laid them on the desk in front of her. "A conservative estimate brings that at 4 to 5 times the amount I first proposed." She said while looking at Shego.

Shego laid back in her chair, her hands behind her head. "Sounds about right to me."

Dr. Director took a new sheet of paper and wrote a few lines on it, signed it and pushed it over to Shego. "Please sign this and then report to Frank. He'll give you a breakdown of the codes we already found and their context."

Shego looked over the amounts Dr. Director had just approved, exactly as Shego had demanded them. "No haggling?" Shego asked with a hint of regret in her voice.

"As I said, we're on a short deadline here." Betty said "When there are human lives at stake, I have no time for childish games."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Kim accompanied Dr. Director as they left the room where Shego was now in discussion with Frank. "I'm surprised you gave in so easily to Shego's demands" Kim stated. "I must say that I was slightly shocked when she demanded money for her help, but I had never expected you to put up so little fight. Is it really that important to have that information?"

"Oh, the information is important, all right." Dr. Director confirmed "But that isn't the real reason why I gave Shego what she wanted."

"Then what was?" Kim asked. "You want her to feel better about herself? You want to prepare her to work for GJ? You think that she needs to have something to do to keep her from going insane?"

"None of the above, Miss Possible." Dr. Director said calmly.

"Then, why?" Kim pressed.

Dr. Director gave a small smile "I had actually expected that Shego would not do this job for at least double of what we pay her now."

--_End of Chapter 3_--

A/N: Okay, I'm sorry. This chapter did not include more details about Shego's condition, contrary to what I said after last chapter. A short scene became a long scene and well…. You just read what happened. But next chapter, you DO get the reply to Kim's question. That's a promise.


	4. Ch04 Trust

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion (andarion . deviantart . com) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions.

AN: For starters, I wish to thank you all for your supportive feedback until now. Nearly 2000 hits in less than a month, I mean, wow! Thank you, guys.

So, as promised, this is the part of the story some of you have been waiting for since the first chapter. I hope it was worth the wait.

Also, this chapter is part of what gives this story it's T-rating. There'll be talk about the birds and the bees. Nothing graphic, only descriptive, and certainly nothing your average teenager doesn't already know. But for those few who are insulted by the idea that there are two kinds of people, and that those people like to explore the differences between boys and girls… you have been warned.

* * *

_Chapter 4 - Trust_

When Kim had been cleared at the second check-post, a familiar face greeted her. "Good afternoon, Sergeant Miles." she said politely.

"And a good afternoon to you as well, Miss Possible." The sergeant replied. "Madam Director has sent me to greet you because she wants to speak with you before you visit the prisoner."

Kim nodded. "By all means, lead on."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Kim entered Dr. Director's office, the woman motioned her to sit down and continued reading the file she had been reading before. _Well, at least it's not urgent then_. Kim thought while calmly waiting for the moment that Madam Director would be ready with whatever she was doing. She only hoped it wouldn't take too long. Her visits with Shego seemed too short already without these occasional trips to the head of Global Justice.

Finally, after what according to Kim had seemed an eternity, but according to her watch had been less than five minutes, Dr. Director closed her file and looked at her visitor. "You're probably wondering why I asked you here." She began without any extra introduction. Kim nodded and Dr. Director picked up a remote that lay on her desk. She pushed a button and a panel in the wall opened to reveal a wide-screen TV monitor. "As you probably know," Betty began, "as part of the witness protection program we have set up for Miss Shego, all queries concerning her whereabouts and activities since the UN ceremony pass through me, and replies are considered to be Class Alpha confidential." Kim nodded again and Madam Director continued. "Usually, all queries are restricted to absolute need-to-know basis. And since everybody who does need to know, already knows about Shego's current status, my replies can be given pretty quickly. However, during one of our missions earlier this week, we received a query which I feel should be decided on by Miss Shego herself. So if you would be as nice as to pass on the following information to her…" Betty clicked another button on the remote and a point-of-view recording of the GJ operation of earlier that week began to play.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Say again?" Shego asked in surprise after Kim had finished recounting what she had seen only a few minutes before.

"Team Go wants to get permission of Global Justice to actively pursue you." Kim repeated.

Shego sat back in her seat, unable to understand this sudden interest of her brothers in her. She opened her hands, shaking them beside her, and yelled "Why?!" to no-one in particular.

"Electronique." Kim said simply. Shego looked at her with puzzlement. Kim sighed. "Look, before you get angry or anything, what I'm about to say is need-to-know info, and until recently, Madam Director didn't feel you needed to know. After that debacle with Electronique and her Attitudinator, Team Go needed to accept a position as sub-contractor for Global Justice. To the outside world, it still looks as if they are an independent crime-fighting team, but the powers that be decided they couldn't risk them going rogue again, so they got the choice: work for Global Justice or be decommissioned. They have a GJ liaison in Go Tower at all moments, and he dispatches assignments to them, and if they want to go on an independent assignment, so to say, they must ask GJ permission first."

"So that's why their effectiveness increased in the last few months!" Shego guessed. "And here I thought that Hego might have actually gotten a smidgeon of sense knocked into him when being hit repeatedly by Electronique's toy."

Kim sighed. "No such luck. According to Ron, he's still his old charming self."

"Great." Shego muttered.

"Anyway," Kim continued "Earlier this week, a GJ task-force came to Go City to take down a secondary target from that list you compiled based on Perkins' information. Some kind of R&R facility for hench-people. Needless to say, GJ enlisted the help of Team Go and the mission went off smoothly."

"Boy, Global Justice has really whipped those boys in shape." Shego joked. "I haven't heard the words 'Team Go' and 'smooth mission' in the same sentence for a long time."

Kim couldn't help but smile and then steeled herself for the hardest part of her explanation. "Yeah, I saw the footage and it's true, they are more effective than last time I saw them in action. Mego doesn't even try that stupid 'pop-up from behind' thing anymore. Anyway, after that mission, which was the first big joint mission between GJ and Team Go, Hego got what he probably considers to be a brilliant plan, and he contacted the liaison to suggest trying to increase what he called 'the size and operational effectivity of Team Go'."

Shego slapped her hand on her face and groaned "Oh no! You don't mean…"

"I'm afraid so." Kim confirmed. "He requested permission to track you down because, and these are his words, you clearly want to do the good thing, what with getting a reward from the UN and all, and you haven't committed any crime in the last half year or so, just been laying low. And who else than a loving brother can bring a person out of the shadows of crime and back into the light of hero work?"

Shego balled her fists and did everything she could to keep her temper and not burst into flame. Despite that heroic internal battle, Kim was convinced that she saw a light green nimbus appear around Shego's balled fist. Finally, Shego's explosion limited itself to words. "That stuck-up, half-witted, ignorant, holier-than-thou, egotistical oaf! If anything could bring me back to a life of crime it would be spending a day in the same room, hell the same town as him! Please tell me that Madam Director told him to take his idea and stick it where the sun don't shine!"

Kim mutely shook her head.

"She didn't!" Shego exclaimed "She actually gave them permission to look for me?"

"Not yet." Kim corrected. "She told them she'd 'consider their request'. But what else could she tell them? _Oh, no. Don't worry, she's been in our custody for the last few months. And by the way have you ever considered your capacities as an uncle_?"

Shego deflated as she realized that both Kim and Dr. Director were right. An outright refusal would only have raised her brothers' suspicion. "So, why did Madam Director ask you to tell me all this?"

"Well, since this clearly has impact on your privacy _and_ your status as a protected witness, Madam Director decided that you should have the final say in what we'll tell Team Go." Kim explained. "Either they get the green light to waste time and effort in a vain attempt to locate your current whereabouts, or they will be informed about your legal status, your condition, or both."

"No!" Shego exclaimed "Certainly don't tell them that I'm pregnant! I've hardly gotten used to the idea myself. Trying to accept that those four will be uncles is too much for now. Can't Dr. Director just tell them not to waste money to search for me because I no longer pose a danger?"

"She could if they used public money." Kim confirmed. "But not if the decide to use their private funds. They only way Dr. Director could legally forbid them from actively searching for you is if you'd get a court-order against them. But that would mean they'd get the information that you're in GJ's custody anyway." She gave a small sigh. "I'm sorry, Shego; but the two options you've got are letting them use the money, or giving them information about your current status."

"Damn!" Shego spat. "Couldn't she just have taken a decision herself, so I could blame her for that decision?"

"I guess that's one of the main reasons why she wants you to make the call." Kim said. "If it were just any other person or group, they'd have gotten the permission without any second thoughts. You've left enough false clues for them to chase their tails for ages. But Madam Director was afraid that Hego might actually spend a large part of Team Go's assets in a useless chase, and she didn't want to take responsibility for that."

Shego sighed. "Yeah, he's capable to do that. Hego has many faults, but he _does_ have a one-track mind, and once he sets his sights on something, he won't be easily distracted. He might actually waste most of Team Go's money before he gives up." Shego took a deep breath and looked at Kim. "Fine. Limited disclosure after they swear absolute secrecy. Let them know that I'm at the moment in the custody of GJ. Nothing else! Not even that I closed the deal that put so many criminals behind bars. Let them think you finally captured me."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A month had passed since Kim and Dr. Director had debriefed Team Go on Shego's status as an unwilling guest of Global Justice. Kim was happy that the following visits had been uneventful, and that Dr. Director hadn't even called her in for one of their discussions about Shego any more.

Kim visited on a regular basis now. Every week, her schedule had one day with only morning classes, and once those classes were done, Kim would get into her car for the 2,5 hour drive to GJ headquarters. The two young women would spend hours talking about everyday things, usually current events, Kim's college life or Shego's ongoing pregnancy. At times, Kim would even forget that less than half a year before, the two of them had come close to killing each other.

Shego was clearly showing her pregnancy now and could often be seen absently rubbing her belly. Kim had brought Shego a little treat, Belgian waffles this time, to surprise the pregnant woman.

Being with a pregnant Shego was a strange experience. The woman didn't really suffer from mood-swings, though Kim found it difficult to imagine Shego being crankier than her usual self, but she did have moments when she was highly sentimental, and her cravings for the strangest food at the weirdest moments were as strong as the classic cliché suggested. Most of the time, Shego just sent out for whatever her fancy desired at any given moment, but that didn't diminish her thankfulness each time Kim came by bringing something special to surprise the expecting mother. Her gifts always tasted the best.

"So," Kim asked after she had handed Shego her cup of coffee and waffle. "How did the last check-up go? Any idea yet whether you're gonna get a boy or a girl?"

"The check-up was fine." The pregnant woman confirmed. "The baby is developing exactly as it should. It looks as if all those worries about my powers being a possible threat to the baby were unwarranted. And no, I have no idea about the child's sex, and I don't want to know."

"You don't?" Kim asked in mild surprise. "How do you know what color you'll need for the baby's things?"

"It's gonna be green anyway." Shego said jokingly. "And for the rest, I just want to be surprised"

"So, do you think the baby will take after its father? Or would that be a bad thing?" Kim asked cautiously.

"Physically, it wouldn't." Shego claimed. When she saw Kim's look, she added. "Hey, I might not know exactly who the father is, but I _**do**_ know my taste in men. You can be sure he was a looker. And as for the child's behavior, well, if it's a boy, you can bet your ass that I'm gonna teach him better than to knock up a girl and never call her back."

Kim chuckled at that statement. Still, she had this burning curiosity that had plagued her for the last three months. She just had satisfy her curiosity and finally worked up the guts to ask point blank what she wanted to know. "So, although you don't know for sure who the father is, do you have a list of Usual Suspects?"

Shego shot an annoyed look at Kim, but her guest's face showed genuine interest, not a desire to hear the latest dirty gossip about the once great thief. She relaxed and decided to be level with Kim "What I'm about to tell you stays between you and me, understand?"

"Scout's honor." Kim replied, raising one hand and placing the other over her heart.

"I didn't know you were a scout." Shego said surprised..

"6 years of pixie-Scouts." The red-head replied. "I got out when my website started demanding most of my time. But please don't change the subject now." she added.

Shego grinned and sat back in her couch, rubbing her belly with a happy smile. "Well, as I told you, my little one is the result of a crazy weekend. What follows is a tale of intrigue, crime, alcohol and lots of promiscuous sex. Are you sure your delicate, innocent ears are ready to deal with that?"

The expectant look in Kim's eyes gave Shego all the reply she needed. "I shouldn't expect anything else from a teenager who admitted she's addicted to_Agony County_." she chuckled. "Well, it all began with that museum heist me and Junior pulled on the day of your graduation."

"Heist?" Kim asked surprised. "I don't remember any news about a theft from a museum committed on graduation day. And certainly not one that implicated you or Junior. Although I can understand that it had gotten lost in the mayhem caused by Warmonga's invasion."

"Well, actually, it's due to the only unfortunate part of an otherwise brilliant plan. I'll come to that later. You see, it seems that Junior felt himself humiliated after that fiasco with his father's birthday."

"You mean that time I kept interrupting the two of you?" Kim inquired.

"The very same. Apparently, that boy knows how to hold a grudge, and he had sworn that he would show his father he could be a villain without the great Kim Possible interfering. He had been planning the perfect moment to commit his 'crime of the century' and hired me to do all the really difficult work. And he didn't let himself be distracted by the whole alien invasion mayhem either, I did respect him for that, I'll admit. The loot was the oldest known manuscript on the adventures of Robin Hood which at that time, was on loan in the Go City Museum of Arts. We got in, snatched the manuscript and were out before you kids were done slapping each other on the back for surviving kiddie-prison."

"So _that's_ why he wasn't on the graduation dance!" Kim exclaimed.

"Huh?" Shego said surprised.

"Sorry, long story. I'll tell you later. Please, do continue". Kim said

"Right." Shego continued. "Junior was so anxious to show the manuscript to his father the next Monday. What he didn't know, but should have known if he had done a little more research, was that the publishing house that had given the manuscript in loan was actually one of the many companies owned by the Seniors. Needless to say, Sr. Sr. Sr. did not alert the cops when the theft was discovered."

Kim laughed out loud when she heard about Junior's mistake and Shego smiled at her reaction. "Yeah, I can laugh with it now, but I wasn't so thrilled when I found out, though. Anyway, that evening, we were in a celebratory mood. We had just stolen a priceless historical document and Kim Possible didn't even know about it. Junior decided that deserved a healthy toast, and the Seniors happen to have a well-stocked wine cellar. Now I'm not a specialist on wine, I'm more of a beer person, but I guess that the vintages Junior selected were pretty stubborn. In short, I got drunk."

Kim looked at Shego in wide-eyed surprise. "You had sex with Junior?!" she exclaimed.

"I honestly don't know." Shego admitted. "Until that day, I was always sure that Junior was gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide, but ever since I woke up there, I'm not so sure any more."

Kim sighed for a moment and then confirmed. "He's straight, all right. Or at least bi. He's been dating one of my former classmates for nearly a year now."

"Junior? Dating?" Shego said surprised. "Where would he find somebody who'd be able to stand him for more than a day? Heck, for more than an hour even?"

"Well, his girlfriend was the worst, self-absorbed, narcissistic B-I-T-C-H the school has ever seen, excepting her two elder sisters." Kim said with audible contempt in her voice.

"Ah, a perfect match then?" Shego quipped.

"Oh, you have no idea!" Kim conceded. "So you think he might have cheated on Bonnie?"

Shego shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I woke up the next morning in a king-size bed in one of the many guest-quarters with one heck of a hang-over wearing nothing but my panties and one of Junior's trade-mark shirts. For all I know, he was the perfect gentleman and only helped me into bed. But then again, it's just as well possible that we got freaky for more than half the night."

"And what did you do then?" Kim wanted to know.

"What do you think I did," the former thief replied. "I grabbed my clothes and got the Hell away from that island. I didn't even wait for Junior to pay me for the job."

"So you never asked him whether..." Kim left the rest of her question hanging.

"Nope." Shego confirmed. "I never spoke to him afterward. That news about his father already owning the manuscript, I received by e-mail."

"What did you do after you got back to your place?"

"I got into civvies and went to my usual pub." Shego continued her tale. "I still had one heck of a hang-over, and on top of that, I was feeling terrible about myself. In short, I got drunk… again."

"You didn't!" Kim said in surprise. "Don't tell me you… you know…"

"Yes, I did." Shego said glumly "The next morning, I woke up naked in the apartment of one of the pub's regulars. The apartment owner was still taking a shower, so I grabbed my stuff and ran out of there. I got home and took a cold shower to ease myself and to suppress that hang-over I was having. When I was standing under that shower, I actually cried. I felt so cheap… I hadn't felt like that for a very long time."

Shego stopped her story for a moment to breathe deeply and finish her coffee. When she put her cup back on its saucer, Kim saw that her hands were trembling. She stood up and sat herself next to Shego, putting her hand on her shoulder and said. "It's OK Shego. You don't have to continue this story. I… I don't need to know any more."

"Yes, I do." Shego said firmly. "I need to get it out. And you do need to know about things like this, if you truly want to be able to help people face everyday evil."

Kim said nothing and merely nodded for Shego to continue, not leaving her side.

"Anyway, once I got out of the shower, I opened up a bottle of beer. I still had a terrible head-ache and, as I hope you'll never need to find out, the best way to stop a hang-over is actually pouring more alcohol on it. After two beers, most of the head-ache was gone, but the terrible feeling still ate at me. So I followed with a few beers more to drown that feeling. Unfortunately, I only had a six-pack of cold beer in my fridge and I hadn't even fully sobered up from the previous night yet. Now, I detest warm beer, so my addled brain decided that I would find more cool beer elsewhere. I got out again."

Shego gave a quick glance to Kim who was still sitting next to her slowly shaking her head.

"I woke up around midnight in some motel, once again naked and feeling like I was suffocating. Which wasn't such a surprise because a man I never had seen before was lying passed out on top of me. I actually threw him on the ground, got home as fast as I could and used my powers on each and every drop of alcohol I could find there. Needless to say, I haven't touched a drop of booze ever since."

"Wow." Kim said. "That's... quite the story. But during all those… escapades… didn't you use… you know…"

"Protection?" Shego prompted.

Kim blushed at Shego's question and nodded.

"No need to be so shy about thinking of that." Shego told Kim. "You're absolutely right. And the thing is: I always do use condoms. Actually, once I got my mind together the next day, I checked my wallet and noticed that 4 of them had disappeared. Now I don't know whether we got down to action 4 times and one time, the condom failed. Or one of those guys was so incompetent that after ruining 4 condoms, I gave up. Or that we did it more than 4 times and by the end, I forgot. But the crux of the matter is: something went wrong."

Shego rubbed her belly again and smiled. "Correct that. Not wrong. Just not as planned."

"You're saying that even with using condoms, you might have gotten pregnant?" Kim asked surprised.

"Well, yes." Shego confirmed. "Even in the best of circumstances when used correctly, condoms can still have a failure rate of nearly 5. And I seriously doubt that we were using them 'in the best of circumstances'. Don't you remember that from your Sex-Ed classes?" she added.

"Actually, our Sex-Ed classes were more the 'if you don't want to get pregnant, don't do it' kind." Kim told. "Usually, they were so tame I got the feeling I was in a Disney movie or something like it."

"Really?" Shego asked incredulously. "Well, if I had still been at Middleton High when you got Sex-Ed, you can be sure I wouldn't have put up with that kind of nonsense."

"You mean to say that your credentials include Sex-Ed?" Kim asked.

"Definitely." Kim's one-time substitute teacher confirmed "Actually, it was a mandatory course, but I would have included it in my package anyway."

"Maybe it wasn't so bad then that you stopped being our teacher." Kim stated. "No offense, but I just can't imagine getting Sex-Ed from you, that would just have been way beyond sick and wrong. It was bad enough to get the whole _birds and the bees_ talk with Mom when I hit puberty, but getting a detailed _do and don't_ explanation from my former enemy…. The mind boggles at the idea itself. It's a lot better to just discuss this stuff with a friend, like we're doing now, than to have to know it for an exam."

"Well, I understand what you're saying, Kimmie." Shego replied. "But don't forget, when it comes to Sex-Ed, the only real exam is the one imposed on you by life itself."

Kim hung her head and very meekly said "Yes, Ma'am."

"Oh my God," Shego giggled. "I sounded exactly like a teacher there, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did." Kim said smiling mischievously. Finally, the tension of the previous minutes broke, and both of them had a healthy laugh.

Once they regained their composure, Shego looked at Kim and asked her "Say, did you just call me a friend?"

"Yes, I did." Kim replied without hesitation.

"When did we become friends?" Shego inquired.

Kim held up her hands; not exactly sure about the correct answer either. "Somewhere between then and now, I'd say."

"Don't you think that's… weird? You and me being friends?" the former thief asked.

"Somehow, yes…" Kim conceded. "But in other ways, this just feels perfectly OK. As if we know each other so well for so long, that we've been friends without even knowing it."

"Shouldn't the world implode or something?" Shego asked jokingly. "Don't get me wrong, what we're having here, I like it, but it's nothing like that time I got hit by the Attitudinator."

"Tell me about it." Kim confirmed. "You're still the same person you've always been, and I guess that's a good thing. Back then, you were more like a big sister and at times, I actually felt protective towards you. But now, you're still the same, strong woman you've always been. The only difference is: you're choosing not to commit a crime, which only shows your strength more. Something I can respect."

"So," Shego said cautiously "You think we can continue to be friends, even after I have this baby?"

"Why not?" Kim confirmed. "Anything is possible for a Possible, and you do whatever you want anyway."

"Well then," Shego said while lifting her cup of coffee. "Here's to an interesting friendship."

"Toasting with coffee?" Kim said incredulously.

"I'm pregnant and you're a minor." Shego stated firmly.

Kim raised her cup as well. "To an interesting friendship." She repeated while they toasted.

"That still doesn't mean you get to be the godmother." Shego added teasingly.

--_End of Chapter 4_--

I hope you guys feel this chapter was worth the wait. I know that some of you will probably hate me for what happened to Shego, but the sad truth is, I've seen too many otherwise intelligent people, both men and women, get themselves in the worst trouble one can imagine when under the influence of alcohol. They say that one has to write what they know, and believe me, I know more about this than I'd want to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against alcohol, heck I like a good glass from time to time as well, but it's always important to know your limits.

Okay, so far for this short public service rant.

Next: Kim goes shopping; three guess what she's looking for.


	5. ch05 Looking Forward

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion (andarion . deviantart . com) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions.

AN: Yeah, this chapter took a little longer than the previous ones. I got a little hung up in another art project over at DeviantArt. But don't worry, the next chapter will be posted pretty soon.

* * *

_Chapter 5 - Looking Forward _

"Look at this one!" Kim exclaimed. "How cute do you think this is?"

Kim and Monique were standing in the baby department of Club Banana where Kim was holding up a bright green baby-size T-shirt that read "I may be small, but I'm the boss."

Monique sighed. "About as cute as every other baby item you've showed me, Kim. Honestly, why are you so hyped about something that they can't read? Heck, they don't even have fashion consciousness yet. If that baby wears it, the only thing that'll happen is that it'll throw up all over it."

"Well, I guess the mother will like it." Kim said defensively. "And that's all that's important, isn't it?" and she added the shirt to her other selection of baby clothes.

"Talking about the mother," Monique pressed. "Will you finally tell me who it is that you're doing all this effort for?"

Kim shook her head. "Sorry, Monique. I promised her I'd keep it a secret."

"Can you at least give me a hint?" her friend continued. "Do I know her? It's not somebody we went to school with, isn't she?"

Kim hesitated for a moment. "I… er… guess you've run into her from time to time. But no, it's not somebody we know from school."

Monique shook her head while both girls walked to the check-out and Monique pulled out her Club Banana Employee discount card. "Well, whoever it is, she's got you wrapped around her little finger, doing her shopping for her."

"Don't say that." Kim said exasperated. "I explained to you that the mother can only use the internet to do her shopping. I volunteered to come here. And besides, half of the stuff I've bought is a surprise for her."

"And you decided to buy so much green clothes to get back at her?" Monique guessed.

"Actually, most of that was on her list." Kim said. When she saw Monique's questioning look, she added. "So what? She likes green. And as you said, it's not as if the baby will be highly fashion conscious."

"So she's Irish or something?" Monique asked a little too gruffly.

Kim looked at her best friend and raised an eyebrow "Monique, are you… jealous?"

"What?... Of course not!" Monique said indignantly.

"Yes you are." Kim said firmly. "I know you long enough now, Monique. You are jealous. You don't even know who it is and you're jealous of her."

"And so what if I'm a little jealous." Monique defended herself. "You're supposed to be my best friend, Kim. But every week, you go visit this mystery mother and you don't even tell me who it is. Yet you let me use my discount card to buy stuff for her baby. Nearly every day that's left, you're either out on a mission or with Ron. For Christ's sake, we share a dorm room and I hardly see you. Do you realize that this is the first time this month that we're doing something together? What kind of friends do you think that makes us, huh?"

Kim looked at Monique in surprise. With all her visits to Shego and dates with Ron, she had hardly noticed that the time she spent with Monique had indeed been seriously reduced. Not exactly the sisterly escapades she had expected when she and Monique had decided to apply for a joint dorm room. She sighed and hung her head. "You're right. I hadn't even noticed that we were seeing so little of each other recently." She threw her arm around Monique's shoulder and brightly continued. "But I'm done with my shopping for today. It's Saturday afternoon and we have nothing to do tomorrow, so today is girl's day out, and I'm paying, OK?"

Monique couldn't help but crack a smile at her friend's eternal optimism and nodded her agreement.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shego shook her head as Kim came in with bags full of baby stuff, followed by two GJ guards who were nearly as heavily loaded as Kim was. "Kim," she said with a smile. "I asked you to look for a few things. Not rob the store."

"Well, there was just too much to choose from." Kim said with a smile.

"So you chose it all?" Shego quipped.

"Naah, only the green and black. I left the pink and blue for the other parents." Kim re-assured her.

Shego shrugged "Oh well, at least I know I won't be needing to spend a lot of time on those on-line stores. Let's have a look at what you've gotten me, and how much of a dent you've made in my account."

Kim and Shego spent more than an hour going over all the baby clothes and related products. A few of the products hadn't been on the list, and Kim explained her she had asked her mother for advice on what a soon to be mother would need. Kim also told Shego that shortly after that question, she had needed nearly half an hour to put her mother's mind at ease and convince her that, no, Kim was not pregnant. Shego couldn't help but laugh at that story. She remembered what the Possibles were like, and although they seemed to be very open-minded, she doubted that Kim's parents would be thrilled to find out that their precious daughter were pregnant at this stage of her life. She had to admit that she hadn't thought of buying most of the products Mrs. Possible had suggested.

And then, there was only one bag left. Shego had noticed from the beginning that Kim had put that bag aside, and the longer it laid there, the more it raised her curiosity. Kim, however, ignored the bag and went to the kitchenette to prepare another cup of coffee for the two of them. Shego had to fight the urge to not open the bag and have a peek inside. She seriously doubted that it was Kim's personal shopping, because she could easily have left those in her car. After all, if one couldn't leave their personal possessions in their car when it's parked in the private parking of a world-wide crime fighting organization, what's the world come to?

When Kim got back, she poured the two of them their coffee and finally picked up that last bag. "I hope you don't mind, but I got you a little something myself." Kim said.

Shego was surprised at the gesture. Kim had been shopping with Shego's credit card and decided to pay for some stuff herself? She truly was a goody two-shoes. "Well, I certainly don't mind." Shego said. "But why?"

Kim blushed lightly. "Well, I was thinking about the upcoming holidays." she said. "I'll be back in Middleton, celebrating Christmas with my family and Ron and you…"

"I'll be here with a guard watching over me." Shego finished. "I know that Kim. It's not like that will make my Christmas any different from the ones before. I always looked for solitude during those days. Even when I still was part of Team Go, I got sick of that forced happiness and family spirit. Granted, I usually spent them in solitude on a paradisiacal island, basking in the sun, but the doing nothing is still the same. You don't need to feel sorry for me."

"Well, I still decided to get you an early holiday present." Kim said nonplussed. "But when I thought about family, I realized there's something else you're not having."

"And what might that be?" Shego asked with a hint of suspicion in her voice.

To answer her question, Kim pulled a paper party hat out of the bag and held it up triumphantly and exclaimed "A baby-shower!"

"No!" Shego cried. "For the love of God, No! Don't tell me you invited other women to sit around me and giggle and tell horror-stories about birth."

"Oh, don't worry." Kim said "I don't think that Dr. Director is the giggling kind." When she saw the look of abject horror on Shego's face, she quickly added "Just kidding! I didn't invite anybody. I thought this might just be something special for you and me."

Shego let out a sigh of relief, but still eyed the paper hat with a look that suggested that she might light up her hands at any moment. Kim put down the hat and took something else from the bag. "I brought a cake." She said sweetly. "Chocolate…"

Shego sighed "Oh, fine then. Have your silly baby shower. I'm not wearing a hat though."

Kim smiled happily, put on the hat and cut the cake. She then presented Shego with the gifts she had brought. Most of it was what Shego might have suspected: baby clothes, a baby-themed "memories" album and some baby toys. When she presented the last gift, Kim told her it had been an idea from her Mom, after she had told her that Shego would be raising the baby herself. The gift turned out to be a book: _Being a single mother – raising your kids as your own in an unfamiliar environment_.

"This book does not give practical tips about diaper changes and stuff." Kim explained "It's more aimed at the psychology part of it all. How to deal with people who might judge you for not being married. How to explain your children that they have a different religion, and so on. I hope you don't mind. It's maybe a little overprotective motherly advice, and I have no idea whether you might get the same advice from your parents, but…"

"My parents are dead, Kim." Shego said curtly.

"Oh… I…I'm sorry." Kim stammered. "I didn't know… I guess… I thought…"

"That's OK." Shego re-assured her. "They died long ago. And from what I know about your mother, I don't think I'll object to getting some parental advice from her. One wonders how she knows about this book, though." Shego added with a mischievous grin.

"Apparently, her roommate at med-school was in the same situation as you." Kim explained. "Well, not exactly the same. She wasn't a wanted criminal or something, but she was a single mother who didn't want anything to do with the father. And this was in the mid eighties, so people had even less understanding for that than they do now."

"Well, that explains it, then" Shego said. "Though I'd like to point out that I'm no longer a wanted criminal now."

Kim smiled. "Well, I hope it'll come in handy anyway."

"I'm sure it will." Shego assured her. "And you can thank you mo… Whoa!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"What happened?" Kim asked surprised.

"The baby kicked." Shego said while she rubber her belly. "She's been at it the whole day, but this was quite a strong one."

"She's probably training to become a fighter like her mother." Kim joked.

Shego smiled at the idea. "Well, I won't let her start kicking people before she can walk properly, though. So she should enjoy it while she's got the chance now."

Kim looked at Shego and tentatively held up her hand. "Could I… you know… would it be okay if…" she stammered.

"You want to see if you can feel the baby too?" Shego prompted. Kim blushed and nodded. Shego gave a smile and continued. "Sure, go ahead. You've been fascinated by my belly ever since my pregnancy started to show. I'm actually surprised you didn't ask earlier."

"Was it that obvious?" Kim asked with a hint of shame in her voice.

"Not really," Shego re-assured her. "But then again, I have an advantage in reading you. We have fought each other for four years, so I have learned to anticipate your intentions."

Kim got up and gingerly laid her hands on Shego's belly. The baby, however, seemed to be calm again, and Kim was a little disappointed at the lack of activity. Suddenly Shego gently took her hands and put them on another part of her stomach. "Her legs are here, or at least they were when she last kicked." She explained. "If you're lucky, you'll have the most chance of feeling her kicks there."

Kim grinned sheepishly and put her hand down to cover the most surface possible.

"You haven't been around a lot of pregnant women, have you?" Shego guessed.

"Indeed not." Kim confirmed. "Middleton High hadn't seen a pregnant student in nearly 10 years, and in my family, the last pregnancy was when Mom was carrying the tweebs, and because I was still in Pre-K then, I don't remember too much about it."

"Well, you've got several female friends, don't you?" Shego asked, and Kim nodded. "So in a few years, you'll probably get to see a lot of pregnancies."

"That won't be too bad." Kim confirmed. She got a dreamy look when she added. "I know that I've still got a few years to go to finish my studies and do some training, but sometimes, I can't wait for Ron and me to …. Hey! I felt it! I felt it!" She suddenly exclaimed excitedly.

Shego couldn't help but laugh at Kim's youthful exuberance. At moments like these, when she was just a teenager full of bright hopes for the future, it was hard to imagine that she had been saving the world for so long already_. I hope that life will continue to treat you better than it has treated me, Princess_. She thought while looking at the younger woman, who had put her hands back on her swollen belly, hoping for another kick.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The dorm room Kim shared with Monique was shrouded in darkness. The only light to be seen was the weak glow of the digital alarm clock that indicated that it was 3 A.M. Suddenly the Kimmunicator's alarm sounded. "Oh, for the love of God!" Monique exclaimed. "Is it too much to ask to have _one_ week without a night-time calamity?" and she pulled her pillow over her head.

Kim turned on her Kimmunicator. "What's the sitch, Wade," she asked automatically, but then she saw the face looking back at her. "Dr. Director!" she said surprised. "Why are you calling me like this?"

"I asked Mr. Load to patch me through." The one-eyed woman said. "You must urgently come to GJ headquarters. Shego is out of control, and I don't know how much longer my staff can keep her calm."

Kim sat bolt upright in her bed. "What? What happened?"

"I can't disclose that over this line." Dr. Director said. "Are you coming?"

"Off course I am." Kim confirmed while she was stepping into her pants "But can't you brief me during the ride over to there. Wade can transmit this signal to the receiver I've got in my car."

"Your car is too slow." Dr. Director replied. "I'm sending a jet your way. Coordinates are being transmitted to your communicator. Can you be there within 5 minutes?"

Kim checked the pick-up point's location with her mental image of the map of the city and she nodded her confirmation.

"Good." Betty said curtly "GJ HQ out."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kim looked out of the VTL jet that had picked her up some ten minutes before. She saw the landing lights of GJ Headquarters and calculated the speed they had flown at from the distance between the pick-up point and Headquarters. She concluded that the jet had flown at the maximum over-land speed allowed in peace-time conditions. Dr. Director really wanted her to be there A.S.A.P.

Kim was wondering how it was possible that Shego was, in the words of Dr. Director 'out of control'. The jet's pilot had been useless as a source of information. He only knew that he had to get from A to B and return to A.

It seemed like an eternity to Kim before the jet had landed, and she immediately saw two of Dr. Director's aides coming her way. They didn't say a word while they accompanied her. Once they got into the medical ward, however, they didn't lead her to the observation room Shego had been living in for the last four months, but to the ER. Kim's heart suddenly felt like a lump of ice.

When she entered the room, she saw Shego lying on a hospital bed, crawled up in a ball. Kim sighed a breath of relief when she saw the regular movement of the former thief's breathing.

"We sedated her." One of the aides informed Kim. "However, we have no idea how long she will stay like this. Madam Director felt that because the two of you seem to have bonded, you might be able to keep her calm once the sedation wears off"

"Can you leave us alone for the moment?" Kim asked.

The aides nodded and left the room, closing the door behind them. Kim looked around and saw various observation camera's, all pointed at Shego.

Kim walked towards the woman lying in the center of the room. "Shego…?" she asked, but got no reaction.

Once she reached Shego, she saw that the woman was lying with her back towards Kim. She laid her hand on her shoulder. "Shego…?" she repeated. "It's me, Kim."

This time, the former thief reacted; she turned her head to look at her visitor and Kim was surprised by what she saw. Shego's eyes were swollen red and her cheeks were wet with tears. "Shego... What's wrong?"

Shego rolled over, threw her hands around Kim's waist and pressed her head against the slender heroine's body. "Oh Kim!" she wailed. "I lost my baby!"

_-- End of chapter 5--_

Next: What happened?


	6. Ch06 The Unexpected

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion (andarion . deviantart . com) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions.

AN: As promised, you didn't have to wait too long for this chapter ;) Thank you all for the feedback on the last chapter.

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_Chapter 6 – the Unexpected_

Kim was sitting on the hospital bed while holding Shego in a comforting embrace. The older woman had spent the last half hour or so pouring out her heart and soul to the young hero, at times interrupted by bouts of uncontrollable tears. For the first time ever, Kim had found herself confronted with being completely helpless to alleviate another person's suffering. She had never before needed to comfort somebody who had suffered the terrible loss Shego had, and she had been at a complete loss for words. The only thing she had been able to do was to pull the grieving woman close to her, hug her and provide the proverbial shoulder to cry on.

And now, for the last few minutes, Shego had said nothing and her breathing was regular and calm, showing Kim that her friend had cried herself to sleep. Kim sat in the silence of the ER and tried to come to grips with the enormity of what had happened to Shego. Her own eyes were red as well from the tears she had cried for the child she'd never know.

Finally, once she was sure that Shego was fast asleep, Kim slowly got up while laying the woman back on the bed she had found her on. She wiped her eyes and cheeks and pressed a tender kiss on Shego's forehead while silently whispering "Don't worry. I will be back soon."

She walked to the door of the ER and knocked on it to announce she was ready to leave. The same aides that had greeted her earlier that night were still standing guard.

"I want to speak with Dr. Director." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Madam Director had already anticipated as much." One of the aides said. "She has asked me to accompany you to her offices as soon as you were ready here."

"Okay." Kim said curtly. "Take me to her then…. Please." She looked backward to the sleeping form of Shego and added. "Will you inform me when she wakes up?"

"Certainly." The other aide re-assured her "But now that she's sleeping, she will probably be out for quite a while. The tranquilizers, you know."

"I just hope I'll be back before she notices me missing. No reason to cause her more hurt that she already had." Kim said worriedly

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dr. Director was working on her administration when Kim walked in. She pushed her papers aside and addressed her guest. "Ah, Miss Possible. Good night, or should I say 'good morning'?"

Kim just shrugged.

"Okay, clearly not the time for pleasantries for you now." Dr Director noticed. "In that case, let me express my gratitude for your help in stabilizing Shego for the time being."

Kim was indeed not interested in anything different from Shego's condition, so she decided to cut to the chase "What happened?" she asked. "How is it possible that Shego lost her baby?"

Dr. Director gave a deep sigh. "I'm afraid we don't know. At 21:48 this evening, Shego contacted the doctor because she was suffering from extreme pain in her abdomen. The doctor immediately checked her and noticed that she was experiencing heavy, irregular contractions. They were also not directed, which worried the doctor even more. He immediately administered contraction-inhibiting drugs, but it didn't seem to stabilize Shego's condition. He tried everything he could to stop, or at least slow down the contractions. He even opened an emergency conference-call with the gynecologist at guard at the academic hospital, but they were unable to prevent Shego going into labor. At that moment, it was clear that the baby would be dangerously premature, but there was still a small chance for survival, so now the medical staff needed to change their strategy. They actually needed to speed up the delivery in stead of blocking it. Unfortunately, it was clear after a while, this was around 1:30 A.M., that Shego was just too exhausted from the labor and medical treatment for the birth to occur normally. So the doctor decided to perform a caesarean. Around 1:45, the operation was done, but the baby was already dead before the doctor reached her. Once Shego started to recover from the anesthesia and heard what had happened, she attacked everybody around her. She put one guard and a nurse in the ER and it took four orderlies to subdue and sedate her, and still, she kept on raging. That's when I contacted you."

"Do the doctors have any idea why this happened?" Kim inquired "And why now, so late into the pregnancy?"

"Unfortunately, no." Dr. Director admitted. "The doctor can't say for sure whether the baby was dead before the contractions even began, or whether she died during the premature labor. According to the medical staff, the cause of death is miscarriage, but what caused the miscarriage, they can't confirm. Was it Shego's comet-induced powers that caused her body to reject the baby or maybe hurt the baby? Was it a something in the baby's DNA that got triggered in this stage of development and killed her? Or was it just a 'normal' miscarriage like too many other expectant mothers have suffered? I'm afraid we'll never know."

"Poor Shego." Kim said with a deep sigh, and she once again wiped her eyes dry. "So, what do we do no?" she asked

"Well, what _we_ at GJ will do," Dr. Director started "is that we will post armed guards at the ER Shego is lying in now. Once the doctors declare her fit to leave constant medical observation, she will be escorted to maximum security prison where she will sit out the remainder of her sentence, plus additional time for the aggravated assault committed today."

"WHAT?!" Kim exclaimed incredulously.

"Kim," Dr. Director stated in a level voice "Shego has attacked my people while they were trying to help her. She is at all times to be considered armed and dangerous and she is highly prone to escaping. We have now lost the only factor that seemed to have been able to tame her. Under those conditions, I must consider her to be the same danger she was until half a year ago. I have no choice but to withdraw the deal we had made with her based upon her pregnancy."

Kim jumped up and slammed her hands on Betty's desk. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" she hollered with such anger Dr. Director actually jumped back in her seat. "She is standing on the edge of the abyss and you're about to push her right in! What kind of cold-hearted bitch are you?!"

Dr. Director stood up and smacked her hand on her desk herself while looking Kim full in the eyes. "You are out of line, young lady!" she said angrily.

"Oh, I'm out of line, am I?" Kim replied. "Well, if this is the line you want GJ to follow, I don't even want to be within it! Do you even _know_ what it's like to have anything like human emotions?" she spat out.

"Nobody talks to me like that in my own office!" Betty growled angrily. She slammed her fist on her desk for emphasis while repeating "Nobody!"

"Well, if that's the case," Kim snarled back "that means you work either with robots or with yellow-bellied cowards who are too afraid to speak their own mind for fear that the bully-in-command might shout at them. A good leader should be happy when they're warned about making a mistake that will put countless innocent people at risk."

Dr. Director fought to regain her self control. She breathed deeply and sat backing her chair "You've got exactly ten minutes," she said through clenched teeth "to tell me what you mean with that. And if after those ten minutes, I'm not convinced of the validity of your insubordination, I never want to see you within 100 meters of a GJ agent again"

Kim also managed to control her anger and sat back in her chair "Fine!" she huffed. "As long as you know that I'm doing this for the sake of Shego and her would-be victims, not to soothe your poor hurt ego. Listen, if you lock up Shego now, you'll convince her of all the worse thoughts she's been having about herself for the moment, completely undoing the progress we've been making in the last months. I've spent the last half hour with her, and though I'm not sure she even knows what she did and didn't say out loud, it's clear to me that she's practically convinced herself that it's her fault the baby died."

"Why the hell would she think such nonsense?" Betty asked surprised.

"I've got no idea." Kim admitted "But then again, who knows what goes around in the mind of a mother who has just lost her baby? The bottom-line is, if you lock her up now, she'll take that as proof positive of her guilt because she'll assume that we also think she's guilty to the death of her baby, and that we're punishing her for it." Kim saw that Betty was getting ready to protest again, but she cut her off. "I know that neither of us would ever be thinking that, but I seriously doubt that we'll be able to convince her. You lock up people for doing something wrong, and you guys did have a deal, didn't you? So something she did after the deal was so wrong that it deserved her getting locked up, and the only possible thing she will recognize as being wrong, is the baby's death"

"She put two of my people in the ER, for crying out loud!" Dr. Director interrupted

"That she did." Kim admitted "And she did so just after finding out that she had lost her baby, probably one of the most traumatic experiences a person can encounter in life. Of course she lashed out. Most mothers would. Only Shego forgot that she's not exactly like most mothers, even if she didn't use her powers. I seriously doubt there will be a court in this country that wouldn't dismiss this case based on temporary insanity."

"Spoken like a true defense lawyer." Betty said sarcastically. "But that doesn't diminish the gravity of the other crimes she committed. Those alone deserve her prison time."

"But for those crimes, she was already convicted." Kim said reasonably "Increasing somebody's punishment is only done if aggravating circumstances are brought to the original crime, which wasn't the case here, or for new crimes. And that brings us back to the only new crime of Shego, at least in her mind. I tell you, she probably will see imprisonment as a confirmation of her being guilty of the baby's death. She will loose every holdfast she had before: her baby, her hope for redemption, maybe even her faith in us. Considering the depression she's balancing on now, she'll probably become convinced that she is truly, inherently evil, and knowing her the way I do, she'll probably deal with that in one of two ways. Either she'll refuse to give in and, in what she'll believe to be a moment of clarity, commit suicide"

Dr. Director stared at Kim, surprised at the nearly emotionless voice the young woman had used "You're not serious!" she exclaimed.

"When I was in that ER, she must have repeated questions like 'why didn't I die as well?', 'Why not me?' nearly every other minute." Kim countered.

"She took it that bad?" Dr. Director mused.

Kim nodded. "Of course," she continued. "That was just the optimistic scenario. She could also decide that, since she's truly evil anyway, she should go the distance and give in to her evil nature. Then, she will no longer be a thief who's in it more for the kick than anything else, but a full-fledged evil menace. Knowing her powers, we'll be saying Hail to Lady Shego within a decade."

"Okay, now you're exaggerating." Dr. Director remarked.

"Am I?" Kim asked. "When she was still a hero, it was Shego who kept Team Go together. As a sidekick, she was only really in it if she got to steal something or to kick some ass, mine usually. The only time I saw her pulling open all registers was in the fight against the Lowardians. Just imagine what could happen if she used her powers to convince a scientist like Drakken, Dementor or Bortel to work for her, instead of the other way around? She'd soon have the power and technology to take over HenchCo or Gemini's W.E.E. Then she'd have the manpower to really become bothersome to us."

"You really think she could do all that?" Dr. Director asked worriedly.

"At the moment not." Kim stressed. "She likes the easy life too much, whether it was as a sidekick to Drakken or in the gilded cage you keep her in, to even think about all the planning that would get into an evil take-over. But if she would decide to truly get herself into action… Who knows where she'll stop? So the last thing we need now is giving her a reason to even contemplate getting into action."

Dr. Director actually shuddered at the thought of the scenario laid out by Kim.

"But, then again," Kim continued "This could all be idle musings. After all, Shego might not blame herself at all. Maybe she'll suspect somebody else of being guilty to her baby's death." And with that statement, Kim looked intently at Dr. Director.

"What the hell are you suggesting?" Betty asked suspiciously.

"Well. Maybe Shego might suspect that her miscarriage wasn't an accident after all" Kim said. "Maybe somebody slipped her something in her food that caused her to have a miscarriage? Maybe the doctor didn't do all he was capable of? Maybe he even worsened a minor physical inconvenience? Maybe some agency was afraid of the baby's potential, or just needed an excuse to lock Shego up and throw away the key?"

"WHAT!!" Madam Director exclaimed in outrage. "You think that somebody here… I'd never… Nobody would ever… I'd never accept that anybody would…" Betty couldn't even finish her sentences, so shocked was she with the terrible breach of human rights Kim had just suggested.

"You know that and I know that." Kim replied. "But why would Shego believe you if you throw her in maximum security prison? After all, a potential risk has been eliminated, and one of the most dangerous known mutants is safely behind bars. It almost sounds too neatly fitting for coincidence. Especially if you're used to thinking the worst about people."

Dr. Director sat back in her chair and drummed her fingers on her desk, contemplating all Kim had just told her "How likely do you think those scenarios are?" She finally asked.

"At the moment? Not unlikely." Kim replied "Under normal circumstances, I'd laugh them away myself, but these are anything but normal circumstances. We can hardly compare her to that stack of files you keep on her any more."

"Very well." Dr. Director finally said. "I'll accept that you're part right. I've only been thinking of her as 'Shego, the wanted criminal' and forgot that she's also 'Shego, the grieving mother'. So maybe I reacted too harsh on some points. I'm willing to drop the charges for aggravated assault…"

"Great!" Kim interrupted.

"IF…!" Dr. Director continued. "If she shows remorse for it when she remembers or hears about it. And mind you, it must be spontaneous remorse."

"Okay." Kim said, and she made a quick gesture in front of her mouth as if she was closing a zipper.

Dr; Director gave a small smile and continued. "As for her incarceration, I'm willing to keep her in her present high security observation for the next few weeks. We will be observing her social interactions and be on the look-out for signs that she's thinking of breaking out. We will assign someone to spend a few hours a day with her, both to give her social stability and to get a first-hand risk-assessment. I want to be absolutely sure that she won't fall back to her old habits like she did after that alien invasion."

"And who'll get that job?" Kim asked curiously. "Do you think there's a GJ agent around whom Shego can really be herself? I didn't get the impression that up to now, she received a lot of recreational visits."

Dr. Director didn't answer Kim's question, but just looked at her.

Realization dawned and Kim exclaimed "No way! Several weeks here at GJ? I've never lost more that two consecutive days because of a mission. I might have special dispensation to recover classes I missed during a mission, but they'll never allow me to be absent for such a long time, especially not with Mid-Terms coming up. Don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't want to help Shego, far from it, but can't you set up a safe-house closer to my university then, so I'll be able to combine classes with looking after her?"

Betty shook her head. "I'm sorry, Kim" She said, "But I can't make any more concessions than those I've already made As long as I'm not convinced that Shego isn't liable to escape, I will not allow her to leave GJ Headquarters. Now, I fully realize that you're not a GJ agent and you've got your own private life to think of as well. So if you're unable to take on this task, I'll have to assign it to one of our councilors, preferably one who hasn't been at HQ for a few years already. Of course, that person won't have the insight into Shego's psyche you've developed over the years. Now if you decide to take on this assignment, we'll house you in the guest quarters, so you'll still have your privacy, and of course, you'll have full liberty to communicate with the outside world. As for your classes, the Dean of your faculty is a former GJ agent, who still works for us as a recruiter. One call from me and your full stay here will be accepted as a training period for academic credit. He'll see to it that you get recordings of all classes you miss and that you'll be excused for all practice sessions and assignments during that period."

Betty leaned forward with her hands folded on the desk. "That's the best I can do, Kim, and I need an answer within an hour, because if you decline, I'll have to arrange for a replacement to be here before Shego awakes."

Kim laid back in her chair and looked at Dr. Director "So, I guess I can still come within 100 meters of your agents, then?" she asked with a smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shego awoke feeling terrible. Her head hurt and she had the feeling something terrible had happened. She tried to sit up and pain shot through her abdomen. She felt her stomach and her hand encountered the bandages. Memory flooded over her and the pain of loss slammed full force into her. For a moment, she hoped it had been but a bad dream, but her hands no longer encountered the once familiar bulge in her stomach. She covered her eyes and started to sob silently.

In the chair next to her bed, the sound of Shego's grieving awoke the person who had been holding vigil at her side. "Shego," Kim said softly, "You are not alone."

Shego looked aside, and only now saw the slender heroine sitting next to her. Kim's hair was a disheveled mess, her clothes were rumpled from sitting asleep in a chair and her eyes were blood-shot from too short naps and crying. "Oh my God, Kim" Shego said. "You look absolutely terrible."

Kim cracked a smile at Shego's remark. "Well, if we're gonna be honest about is, you don't look so hot either. Which can only be expected after everything you've gone through in the last few hours."

"It's true then?" Shego asked imploringly, afraid to hear confirmation of what only a few days before would have seemed like a bad dream. "I really lost my baby?"

Kim hung her head and could only nod. After a while she lifted her head again and looked Shego in the eyes. Both women's vision was becoming blurred with tears. "I'm sorry." Was the only thing she could say.

Kim sat herself on the edge of the bed again and laid her hand on Shego's shoulder and tugged Shego closer to her. Shego accepted the gesture of comfort and threw herself in the embrace, letting go of the tears she had fought to hold back. Kim firmly hugged the grieving woman and let go of her tears as well.

After having spent their tears for the moment, the two young women held on to the embrace for a while longer, just finding solace in each other's presence. Finally, Shego broke the embrace and looked at Kim. "So, what happens now?" she asked with worry in her voice.

"For the moment," Kim said, "you'll stay in observation until the doctors give you permission to move about again. Then you'll return to your room here at GJ, where you'll probably stay for the remainder of your sentence."

"You mean that GJ will hold up their end of the bargain?" Shego asked in mild surprise.

"For the moment, yes." Kim confirmed. "I can't say whether they'll decide to renegotiate the deal at a later moment, though." she added honestly.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Shego said numbly. "So I guess it's breakfast and goodbye then? I think you've still got classes today, right?"

"Actually, Dr. Director has asked me to stay here with you for the time being. God knows you can use the presence of a friendly soul, so I agreed. Not that I'd have left in the first days, any ways." Kim gave Shego a re-assuring smile. "No force on this world would have kept me away from a friend in need."

Shego closed her eyes and lowered her head. "Thanks." She said in a small voice.

"So for the moment, just breakfast then?" Kim asked. Shego nodded and Kim got up and walked to the ER's door and knocked on it. She spoke shortly with the guard and returned to Shego's side.

"Breakfast will be here in a few minutes." She said. "And in an hour or so, the doctor will come to examine you. You want me to stay during his visit, or should I give you some privacy then?"

Shego took Kim's hands in hers and looked her in the eyes. "Stay." She said softly. "Please."

_-- End of chapter 6--_

Next: Shego learns how to survive after your world comes crashing down. Also, bad times ahead for Kim.


	7. Ch07 Counsel

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion (andarion . deviantart . com) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions.

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_Chapter 7 - Counsel_

Kim was standing outside of Shego's quarters at GJ Headquarters while talking into her communicator. "Listen," she said, while containing her anger, "you think that I like this situation? You think I planned this? Monday: study. Tuesday: Paper. Wednesday: Shego's baby dies? I'm needed here now. This is more than just a mission. This is the actual, real life: helping friends." Kim waited a moment while the person on the other side of the line interrupted her. "Yes," she replied. "I do think of her as a friend, and no, I haven't gone completely out of my mind." She waited another moment when she got another reply. "Well, this isn't just about you and me, you know!" she said brusquely "I'm not your private property, and if that's the way you feel about us, I wonder why we're even together! You knew what is important to me and what I do before we even kissed for the first time, so don't start acting all hurt and snivelly on me now!" There was another short pause. "Fine!" she nearly yelled and she broke her connection.

Kim walked back into Shego's room, muttering to herself. The former thief was half lying, half sitting on her bed and looked at the thunderstorm playing over Kim's face. _Uh Oh! Trouble in paradise_. She thought to herself. She got up a little and motioned for Kim to come over to her bed. When Kim had seated herself in the chair next to Shego's bed, Shego wasted no time. "So, what did the buffoon do wrong now?" she asked out of the blue.

"Huh? What did you say?" Kim asked with an absent voice.

"I asked you: 'what did the buffoon do?' Clearly you've got boyfriend troubles." Shego clarified.

"Why the hell would you think that?" Kim asked surprised.

"Well, you're distracted and muttering to yourself." Shego explained "So that means that something is seriously occupying your thoughts. Your Mid-terms schedule has been arranged by dear Dr. Director, so that's not it. So that logically leaves money or love. There are too many people that owe you favors for you to ever be in serious financial trouble, so the last option standing wins by default."

"Oh, so you think that exams, money and lovers are the only things that can bother a college-student?" Kim asked slightly irritated.

"In general, that will cover more than 95 of the cases, yes." Shego stated confidently. "However, you gave me additional confirmation. You didn't correct me when I called him 'the buffoon'."

"Yes I did!" Kim said, however, after a short pause, she hesitantly added "Didn't I?"

Shego shook her head with a compassionate smile. "Nope, you didn't. So spill, Kim. What did the buffoon do to get you so worked up?"

"Don't call him…" Kim started automatically, but she broke of her phrase and gave a deep sigh. "Oh, what the hell. You're right, you know. Sometimes he can truly be a buffoon."

"O-kay…" Shego said delicately. "Clearly this isn't a roses and moonbeams moment. Why don't you tell me what's wrong? Maybe I can help you work it out."

"You, counseling me on my relation with Ron?" Kim asked in surprise.

"Why not?" Shego replied. "It will probably do you good to talk about it with somebody, and after all, it was part of my Child Development courses."

"_Child_ Development" Kim stressed. "Emphasis on 'child'. I'm a college student, for crying out loud!"

"Same difference." Shego dismissed Kim's objection. "I'm accredited for all levels of high-school. Do you really think that anything basic has changed in that half year between your graduation and now? Teens are teens, whether they're 16 or 19 years old. Angst-ridden, hormone-driven, ticking time-bombs."

"Oh, great way to instill confidence." Kim said sarcastically. However, she couldn't help remembering her time with Shego when the older woman had functioned as a teacher at her old high school. Despite the strange behavior, the woman had actually been very competent as a teacher, so Kim was inclined to accept that Shego might also be able to give her a fresh view on her situation. "Oh, well." Kim conceded. "I might just as well say it, if not, you'll be on my back for the rest of the day. Yes, I did have an argument with Ron. That guy can be so stubborn and egocentric sometimes."

"An argument, huh?" Shego asked surprised. "What about, if I may ask?"

"My time-use. Well, in this case my being here for the next few weeks, but he's been nagging me about my weekly trips for ages now." Kim replied

"No way!" Shego exclaimed. "_**I**_ am causing you to have problems with your boyfriend?"

"Oh, no! Not you!" Kim re-assured her host. "If I wouldn't be coming here, I'd probably be doing something else and he'd be bitching about that just the same. You see, I always came here every Thursday because that's the only day I have only morning courses. I've got to make a 2,5 hour drive, to get here, so I can't visit you in the evenings, and weekends are usually when Ron and I spend time together. But for some reason, Ron feels that we should be able to be together whenever the fancy to see me strikes him. It's not as if he has a fixed schedule, after all. He's in hotel school, and often has practice classes in the evening. So he thinks that if he has a Thursday off, I should be at his beck and call."

"This isn't the first time you've had an argument over this subject, right?" Shego asked.

Kim looked a little crestfallen. Was it that clear? "Yes." She said in a small voice. She often felt frustrated after they had had one of their falling-outs. She was the girl who could do anything, so why couldn't she have a happy, normal relationship like her parents did? Why could Ron get under her skin in ways that wouldn't have bothered her when they were just friends?

Shego interrupted Kim's thoughts when she laid her hand gently on the teenager's knee. "You aren't the first couple to have a little friction, and you certainly won't be the last."

"Huh?" Kim said absentmindedly. "What do you mean?"

"Those little clashes the two of you have," Shego continued. "That's perfectly normal in an adult relationship. The two of you are living a greatly self-sufficient life now, and in your relationship, you both want to establish yourselves as individuals as well. You both are looking for balance between total surrender to the other and maintaining your individuality."

Kim looked at Shego in wide-eyed wonder. How had she been able to hit the nail on the head like that?

Shego chuckled when she saw Kim's look. "This is a very typical situation, Kim" she explained. "You both have strong personalities, but on many other fields, you are very different. And those differences will enrich your relationship, after you've found a way to harmonize the differences that cause your clashes. It's all part of the growing-process we all must go through if we want to maintain a viable, happy relationship."

"But people like Mom and Dad, they don't…" Kim couldn't even finish her sentence. The thought of her parents fighting was just ridiculous.

"They won't be fighting over banalities." Shego confirmed. "They've been together for what, 20 years or more?"

Kim nodded. "We celebrated their anniversary last summer. And they dated for four years before that."

"You see?" Shego continued. "If after 20 years together, you don't know your partner yet, you'll never know him, or her. Usually, 5 years living together should be enough. Actually, it's fortunate that you brought up your parents, because you and the buffoon, sorry Ron, are quite a lot like those two, at least from what I've seen of the way they interacted."

Kim raised an eyebrow at that remark. "How can you say that?" she asked. "Ron is footloose and fancy-free. Never be normal, as he proudly claims. Mom and Dad are doctors. They are different as day and night."

"Really?" Shego asked. "A brain surgeon married to a rocket scientist is normal?" she gave a short chuckle and continued. "But that isn't what I meant. I was talking about their, and your, personality. Those are so alike in many ways. You see, your father and you, you are workaholics who constantly immerse themselves in as much different projects as possible. Look at you, before you started college, you were a grade-A student, a cheerleader, organized half the school's activities and made time to save the world at the drop of a hat. And now, you're a college student, special representative of GJ, still save the world when needed, and through all that, you're dating. And your father? He's a rocket scientist, right? But in my dealings with Doctor D. I've known him work on AI technology, robotics and nanotechnology. Not exactly your everyday subjects for a rocket scientist, I'd say. The two of you, you're constantly wrapped up in your work and the more tasks you have, the happier you seem to be. Ron and your mother, on the other hand, are a lot more easy-going. They have one main occupation, and though they can get fully wrapped up in it, they don't keep picking up new tasks. There's one thing they're good at, so that's what gets their full attention. They provide the necessary balance, ground you in reality, and sometimes even force you to relax."

Kim sat looking at Shego, not really sure whether she understood exactly what Shego was talking about. Shego gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, it's a lot of info for such a short lecture, I know. I could go on for hours, but I fear I'd loose my audience, so it's probably best to just advise you to look it upon the internet. Just answer me this one thing, if you want. Have you ever let Ron intervene in your weekly schedule since you have started college?"

"Of course not," Kim said nearly indignantly. "His hours are so unpredictable; I'd never know when he'd show up."

Shego nodded and continued. "And you mother, has she ever needed to control your father's time-keeping?"

Kim smiled at the memories. "Oh, more than once. Why, if Mom wouldn't expect him home for dinner and stuff, Dad would hardly ever leave the Space Station and…" slowly, Kim's voice trailed away.

"Think about it, Kim. That's the best advice I can give for now." Shego concluded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A light tap on the door distracted the currently sole occupant of the room from an utterly boring piece of homework. "Come in"

A young woman in a drenched raincoat walked into the room, she took off her coat and dropped it over a chair, sat herself on the bed and look sternly at the person in front of her. "You've got some explaining to do!" she barked.

"Hello to you too, Monique." Ron replied wearily. "And what brings you here at this delightful hour of an equally delightful day?" Monique quickly glanced outside and confirmed that Ron could easily see the weather she had just walked through. It was still raining cats and dogs, and it was still nearly midnight.

"What brings me here?" She asked incredulously. "What brings me here? What do you think brings me here? Kim's tenth call to me, that's what brings me here! Why the hell don't you answer her calls?!"

"Uh-oh" a small voice came from near Ron's bed as Rufus peeked out of his den to see what all the noise was about.

"It's not like there was some urgent mission." Ron said defensively "In that case, she'd have Wade contact me after the first failed call."

"Mission?!" Monique nearly yelled. "She's your girlfriend and you're intentionally ignoring her! What the hell is wrong with you, boy?"

Ron lay back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. "I'm surprised she even remembered that." He said bitterly. "After all, it's not a Saturday today, so I don't even feature in her planning."

Monique didn't hesitate a moment and gave Ron a smart slap on his cheek. "Ow!" he exclaimed, and sat back up. "What did you do that for?"

"To make sure that you still have any kind of human feelings!" Monique said angrily. "How could you say something like that? Have you _any_ idea what she went through today?"

"Of course, I do!" Ron said indignantly. "You don't think I'm a complete heartless bastard, do you?"

"Well, you certainly got the act right." Monique replied.

"Listen," Ron said patiently, "What happened today has nothing with what happened between me and Kim. Well, hardly nothing. But it's symptomatic of the real problem. You understand?" looking pleadingly at Monique.

"Er, no." she replied curtly.

Ron sighed, slapped his hand on his face and fell back on his bed. "I don't even know whether I understand it all." He exclaimed. "Here I am with quite probably the greatest girlfriend on Earth, and _this_ stuff keeps happening! If it isn't Shego's baby, it's an earthquake in God-knows-where or yet another Drakken-wannabe mad scientist or a project for college or whatever, and I can't shake the feeling that I'm nothing more than a footnote in her agenda!"

It took a moment for Monique to fully grasp what Ron had just said, but when she did, she exclaimed "Shego!? That mystery woman she was caring for is Shego? Fiery hands of doom, tried to kill you guys a zillion times, 100 percent bad-ass Shego?"

"The very same." Ron confirmed. "And I take it from your surprise that you _didn't_ know that. Please keep it a secret. Apparently, she has some important deal with GJ, and I really doubt that you or I would want to get some very pissed off international crime-fighters interested in us."

"Shego got herself knocked up?" Monique asked in wonder, still unable to fully grasp what Ron had just revealed. "Okay, this is definitely FTM!"

"Flying Tentacle Monster?" Ron asked in surprise

"Freaky to the Max!" Monique corrected him. "How in God's name did something like that happen?"

Ron held up his arms to waive away all responsibility. "Oh no! I'm not gonna say another thing about Ms. Fiery Hands of Doom. I'm already in it as it is! I should have never let you know about her in the first place. If you want the dirt, you'll have to talk to Kim. I didn't care about it from the beginning, and now this whole sordid story is threatening my relation with KP. If it were up to me, our relationship would be 100 percent Shego-free. But it isn't up to me, and that's the whole crux of the matter." He looked at Monique who was still in something of a shock. "So, aren't you supposed to be upset with me? Shouldn't you be yelling at me right now about human feelings and personal tragedies and such?"

"Well, I would be." Monique admitted, "But I'm still getting to grips with the whole Kim visiting Shego every week thing. I mean, I can actually understand why you'd feel passed by every time Kim goes there. I still think you are an insensitive ass for not understanding that she needs to be there now, though."

"I _do_ understand that she needs to be there!" Ron said frustrated. "Sure I'd be happy if she wouldn't be staying for such a long time, but I understand. Really, I do. The thing is… it's always something like this." He stood up and started to pace around the room. "Listen, I know that I'm not the perfect boyfriend, and I should be ecstatic to have Kim for a girlfriend. And every time we are together, I am. But the thing is… when are we together? You see her more often than I do. There are evenings when I'm on-line the whole time and she doesn't log in; I can't even have a few minutes chat with my girlfriend! And I don't want to call her either, because then she thinks there's another crisis happening somewhere. And you know what she's like if I show up at your dorm without her knowing beforehand. And trying to surprise her is an exercise in futility!" He walked to his closet and took his wallet out of his coat. "Here!" he said angrily while taking an envelope from his wallet. "Two tickets for an advance screening of _The New Memo-Pad_ next week-end!"

"But that movie only comes out next month, with Valentine's" Monique said in surprise.

"I know!" Ron exploded, shaking his hands in the air. "It's a bonus for Smarty Mart's best 100 employees of last year. I wanted to surprise her next week! But even a surprise must be planned a month in advance with her at the moment." he said with disgust as he threw the tickets on his desk and started pacing again.

"Look," he continued, "I know that a relation between two people is always a matter of compromise. But tell me, in all honesty, when has Kim compromised in our relation? I got a job to be able to offer her what a boyfriend should be able to offer. I applied for hotel school here because it was closest to her campus, even though I could have applied for, and probably gotten in, the two best hotel schools in the nation, but then Kim would have had to settle for a less prestigious college, and do you honestly think she'd have done that?" he looked at Monique who mutely shook her head. "And it's not that this is a bad hotel school or anything, it's just that I had expected that by being close to her, I would actually be able to be _with_ her from time to time. But no, once again, it's Kim who decides if and when we're together. It's just all so… frustrating." He finally flopped back on his bed and sighed. "I guess it all just… became too much for me this morning. I didn't mean to yell at her or make her angry, but sometimes it seems as if I can't do anything right for her."

Monique sighed and patted him on his knee. "Believe me Ron, Kim loves you and there's a lot you do right. How else do you think that it's possible that you've been together for a year and a half already? I know how you feel about her obsessive time-keeping though. You're not the only one who sometimes feels like a footnote on her agenda, but that's our Kim, and I guess we'll have to learn to live with that. And as for this morning, I guess that emotions were a little high-strung. Kim had a bad night's sleep. Those are situations in which people say things they don't really mean. That's why she tried to call you… she wanted to apologize and explain herself to you. And that's why she started to call me, to get me to tell you that she wanted to talk with you, not blame you."

Ron sighed and nodded. "I'll call her first thing next morning. It's too late now, she'll probably need her sleep if she had such a bad night yesterday."

"Thanks Ron." Monique answered. "I'll text her. And please, try to be your usual carefree self when you call her." She added with a smile.

Ron smiled back and looked at his alarm clock. "I guess the last bus has already passed." It was more of a statement than a question, and Monique nodded her confirmation. Ron got up and took out his coat. "I'll drive you there."

"Thanks." Monique said as she picked up her still damp coat.

"Hey, don't worry." Ron said lightly as he picked his umbrella. "It's the least I can do." He then turned to the one other occupant in the room who had silently observed the whole discussion between Ron and Monique. "See you later buddy."

"Buh bye!" Rufus said groggily as he put himself comfortable to go to sleep. It looked as if his master would be able to get out of the mess he had gotten himself into.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The first two weeks Kim spent at GJ HQ went by rather uneventful. She spent a lot of time talking with Shego about all kinds of things and even ended up reviewing her classes and doing her assigned tasks while visiting her. It was a strange experience at first, but the former thief actually gave her an interesting perspective on some of her courses, especially Introductory Psych and Forensics. At times, Kim couldn't help but remember the classic saying about old poachers.

While Kim was closing her notes for the last course of that day, Shego suddenly surprised her with a question Kim hadn't expected. "So Kim, when will you tell Dr. Director that I no longer need to be under constant observation?"

"Huh?" Kim said surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, no need to act surprised, princess." Shego replied. "Don't forget, I've studied Psych myself and I've spend enough time in jail to recognize suicide-watch when it happens to me."

"But, you're not on suicide watch!" Kim objected.

"I'm not?" Shego asked sarcastically. "Then why is there an infra-red camera in my room, and why have you spent so much time here?"

"Well," Kim began hesitantly "It's more that you are on something of a _make sure Shego doesn't do anything stupid-_watch"

"Like killing myself?"

"Well, yeah, maybe the first days." Kim admitted, "But more like not trying to break out of this building and break some orderly's arm in the process."

"Hey! I apologized for that!" Shego said defensively.

"I know that." Kim answered. "And I wasn't accusing anything. Just… er… giving you an idea of the… impression some people had of you back then."

Shego gave a small sigh. "Well, I hope I've been able to give you a better impression in the last few days. The appeal of going back to what I once did has completely gone from me now."

"It did?" Kim asked with a hint of surprise. Despite the bond she had built with Shego, she couldn't help but fearing that Shego would at one day break out of GJ Headquarters and take up her old life as a mercenary.

Shego didn't reply immediately; she stared in front of her and gave another sigh. Finally, she looked back at Kim, and the young hero was surprised at the raw emotion she could see in the older women's eyes. "Loosing my baby hurt terribly, Kim. It forced me to rethink my life even more than when I first found out I was pregnant. Now I'm not going to insult you with half-assed sob tales that I have become a new person, or that I have found religion or some other movie-of-the-week epiphany, so to put it bluntly, the fun has gone out of the idea. When I think of the plans Dr. D. made, especially those that came close to succeeding, I can't help but imagine how his plans might have hurt innocent citizens. I can't help but think how many young mothers might have suffered from his attacks. I didn't really think about all that when it just felt like I was… well, sticking it to The Man, but now… I… I just couldn't live with myself if I ever caused another woman to go through what I went through."

Shego wept a tear from her eye and look defiantly at Kim. "It's as simple as that. And if you or Dr. Director don't believe me, so be it. Observe me at your heart's content, but I won't be doing anything _stupid_ as you so aptly put it."

For a while, both women said nothing, they only looked at each other. Finally, Kim lowered her gaze for a moment. When she looked back up, she said "I believe you. I don't think I would have been able to spend so much time here if I didn't believe you, even back when you were still pregnant. And I think Dr. Director is inclined to believe you too, but she has the whole world's safety to think about, you know."

Shego gave a wry smile. "Yeah, I know."

Both women didn't talk too much any more that evening. Kim reviewed her notes and Shego spent some time surfing channels until she found a mindless romantic comedy which both of them could watch in silence. When Kim finally returned to her quarters, there was one detail of her earlier conversation with Shego that kept bugging her. The older woman had told her she had taken Psych. But she also had full accreditation in child development. Kim couldn't help but wonder how the former thief had been able to complete these studies while at the same time being a wanted criminal. After all, it wasn't that Shego was so much older than she was which would have given her the time to take a sabbatical from crime to complete her studies. The more she thought on it, the more she marveled at how little she actually knew about Shego's personal life and past. She wondered whether she could ever get the woman to open up about something so personal, but now that the idea had fixed itself in her head, she knew that she wouldn't give up until had Shego told her what she wanted to know.

_-- End of Chapter 7 --_

Next: Kim's stay at GJ comes to an end, so everything goes back to normal, or does it?


	8. Ch08 Return to Normal

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion (andarion . deviantart . com) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions.

AN: Okay, so this chapter took a little longer to get finished. Sometimes real life catches up with one and secondary activities need to be put on hold… But now we're back in business and the next chapter should be a little longer than this one and not take as long before it's posted. Thanks for the patience.

* * *

_Chapter 8 – Return to Normal_

"Just… go!" Shego said impatiently.

"But Shego,…" Kim protested.

"Don't you 'but Shego' me." She interrupted Kim. "The only thing I want to hear is that door closing as you walk out of here."

"But I can't just leave you here!" Kim argued.

Shego sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "We've been over this before, Kim. You've been here for me during the last two and a half weeks. Now it's time you do what we discussed yesterday, get back to college and spend a weekend with your boyfriend. I'll be okay in here for two days by myself. You're not 'just leaving me here'. Honestly, I'm quite fine. I won't try to break out, or do anything stupid. And you'll have to get out of this building one day, whether it's today, next week or when you have to take your Mid-Terms." She looked intently at Kim. "If you don't want to do it for yourself, then do it for the buffoon and for me. I don't want to be responsible for a falling-out between the two of you."

"You're not responsible for what happens between Ron and me." Kim re-assured "And I told you that we patched things up over the phone. I don't need to go there to show him that I love him. And besides, I don't even know whether he'll be there today. I only know that he has a catering task this morning, and in the early afternoon, he'll have to do a report on it, but I don't even know whether he has plans afterwards."

Shego smiled at Kim's objections. "Believe me, if your boyfriend even has half a brain, he'll change his plans, if he has them. And aren't you the one who yesterday evening stated so firmly that she needed to surprise her boyfriend to show that she isn't as inflexible as everybody seems to think? Are you backing out now, Kimmie? Have we finally discovered something that is impossible for a Possible?"

"Of course I'm not backing out." Kim said indignantly.

"Well then." Shego concluded. "Go out, enjoy that rental GJ provided you with, enjoy your weekend with your sweetheart and tell me how it was when you come back Sunday evening."

Kim sighed and picked up her coat and left Shego's quarters. "You win." She said. "See you tomorrow."

"Oh, and Kim…" Shego called when Kim walked through the door. Kim turned to look behind her. "Try to bring me something sweet if you've got the time." Shego said with a playful smile. Kim smiled back and closed the door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kim looked at Shego as the former thief was going through what appeared to be a series of very slow katas. She had just returned from her weekend with Ron and when she had entered Shego's quarters, she had found the woman performing her exercises, so Kim had decided to just stay silent and wait until Shego was through with her routines.

That had been more than 10 minutes ago, and still Shego kept going through those slow motions. Kim was wondering whether Shego was so slow because she was still hurting from the operation wound on her abdomen, or whether it was actually the idea to go so slow. She did recognize some moves, but strangely enough, the end of each kata seemed to be broken off before the actual attack point.

Finally, after she had finished a kata that had taken nearly 5 minutes, Shego turned to Kim. "Welcome back Kimmie. How was your weekend?"

"Very nice, thank you." Kim said, as she handed her a paper bag. "And you were right, Ron was extremely pleasantly surprised. He had planned to go out with some of his fellow students yesterday evening, but it was exactly like you foresaw, he cancelled them immediately." Kim chuckled and the added. "After he had gotten over his surprise of me turning up and not dragging him away on a mission, that is."

Shego smiled while she accepted the bag and opened it. "Hmmm, brownies. You're spoiling me Kimmie. I'm supposed to loose weight now, not gain it."

"Is that why you were going through those katas a moment ago?" Kim inquired

Shego nodded while she bit in one of the brownies, offering Kim another. After Kim had accepted it, Shego continued. "Not just that. I needed to use my muscles again. I've been inactive for more than four months, Kim. My body is screaming for some action, so I just had to start practicing again, or I'd simply go nuts."

"But why so slow?" Kim inquired "And what style was it? It didn't look like your typical fighting style at all."

Shego actually looked surprised at Kim's question. "You're telling me you don't recognize tai chi when you see it?"

"That was tai chi?" Kim asked "I would never have figured you to be somebody to actually practice tai chi. Isn't that just something done by people who don't have the energy or capability to take up real martial arts?"

Shego couldn't help but laugh. "Kimmie, Kimmie, Kimmie." She said, while shaking her head "Apparently you don't know everything there is to know about martial arts. Yes, it's true that many people start with tai chi because it's calm and at a basic level, doesn't require the concentration and dedication other martial arts require. But if you practice tai chi the way it's meant to be, if you really are serious about your exercises, they can be as demanding as black belt level katas, or more. For a martial artist, it is actually a great tool to train patience and control." Shego then gave a mischievous smile. "Of course, the whole patient movement and silent concentration angle is probably what made you dismiss the whole concept from the onset, isn't it? You're way too energetic to be able to practice tai chi on a high level."

This got exactly the response Shego had expected. Kim huffed and firmly stated. "If you can do this, you can bet your ass that I can do it just as well as you can."

Shego smiled. "Well, in that case I'll probably need to teach you then." She said. "By the way, this discussion brings me to another point I wanted to discuss with you. There's a small favor I need to request of Dr. Director, and I need your opinion on it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You've got to be kidding me!" Dr. Director exclaimed while sternly looking at the two women sitting in front of her desk.

"You've been saying that a lot lately." Kim remarked dryly.

"That's because the two of you keep coming up with weird suggestions all the time." Dr. Director said with a sigh.

"I fail to see why my request is weird." Shego firmly stated.

"Oh really?" Dr. Director said skeptically. "Where do you want me to begin? You're a convicted criminal, Shego. You're an expert martial artist and you're specialized in unarmed combat. You're able to fight off highly trained soldiers without the use of weapons, and now you actually expect me to allow you access to GJ's training facilities to 'regain your former physical capacities'?"

"Nothing wrong with that." Shego stated. "It's not like I'm asking to train with lethal weapons or have a sparring partner. I just want to have the space to practice my katas and have access to fitness equipment to work away the puppy-fat I developed during my pregnancy."

Betty sighed and massaged her temples. "Shego, your body is a lethal weapon all by itself."

Shego made a show of checking out her body. "Why, thank you Madam Director! I didn't know you thought I had such a killer body." she said exaggeratedly while Kim fought to keep in her laugh.

"You know what I mean." Betty said with a sigh. "There's no way I can allow this, Shego."

"I hope you do realize that denying me the possibility to exercise is a serious breach of human rights." Shego countered.

"What do you mean?" Dr. Director asked suspiciously.

"Well, I understand that GJ usually only deals with the most dangerous criminals and terrorists." Shego said "But normal prisoners, and until further notice I do guess that I fall under that denominator, have a legal right to physical exercise and/or outdoor activities at least once a week. Even when I was incarcerated after that whole L'il Diabolo disaster, I got one hour of outdoor exercise a day. Under heavy guard, granted, but I did get a chance to breathe some fresh air and flex my muscles. Now I fully understand that getting outside is not in the cards for the near future, and honestly, the ventilation system here is good enough. But I really need to flex my muscles, or I go crazy. And there we come at a second point. It's normal practice to give prisoners the chance to exercise because it relieves stress and diminishes the possibilities of violent behavior."

Dr. Director shot Kim a nasty look. "Are those your arguments?" she asked suspiciously.

Kim held up her hands defensively. "Oh no, she came up with that all by her own. She only used my input to confirm that her arguments were indeed correct." Kim then gave a small smile. "And be happy she did, or the two of you would be spending two hours of discussion to confirm whether the Geneva Convention applied to Shego's situation or not."

"I still think I can be considered a prisoner of war, though." Shego stated more to annoy Kim than for any other reason.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Checking out?" Kim jumped at the voice and spun around to see Shego stand in the frame of the door to her quarters at GJ HQ. She started to ask something but Shego cut her off. "Relax, princess. I'm here with a chaperone," she said while pointing at a guard with her thumb. "Two actually. I just wanted to see where you've been spending the last few weeks when you weren't playing Shego-sit." She gave the quarters an appreciative look. Though they weren't exactly luxurious, they were certainly suitable, and Shego had actually stayed in worse hotel rooms. "Not too shabby." She commented. "Certainly better than what my place looked like before I did some redecorating. Though it does lack finesse. It just screams _military_, doesn't it?"

Kim looked around. She hadn't really paid to much attention to the place, since she knew she wouldn't stay long in it any way. "I guess so." she agreed. "I don't think that GJ has to deal with a lot of high-ranking dignitaries who expect to be pampered."

"You think that Dr. Director sleeps in a room like this?" Shego wondered.

Kim pondered that question for a moment and finally admitted "You know, I never really thought about that. I always assumed that she just goes home at the end of the day, but we've seen her here so often at the strangest hours, that she practically must have a place here, if only for temporary use."

"That, or she just falls asleep at her desk," Shego said, and then added "Like some people I know." with a knowing look.

"I do _not_ fall asleep at my desk!" Kim protested. "Well, not usually at least."

"Oh please!" Shego replied "This Wednesday, when you absolutely had to finish that paper, even though it's due next Monday, you were not only sleeping on the couch, you were snoring!"

"I most certainly do not snore!" Kim said indignantly.

"You certainly do." Shego said firmly. "I could hardly hear my movie."

"Maybe you just have sensitive ears," Kim replied. "Because I've never before had anybody suggest that I snore."

"Probably because your buffoon is too clever to tell you so." Shego said with a grin.

"He's not a buffoon." Kim protested automatically. "And besides he wou…" Kim broke off her sentence when she realized what she was about to say and blushed, causing Shego's grin to become even wider.

"My, my, Kimmie…" she said teasingly "Have you and your boyfriend been… naughty?"

"I won't tell you one way or another." Kim said defiantly.

"Oooh, is that a challenge?" Shego asked. "Because you won't stand a chance. I'm sneakier than you are, plus I know so much more about psychological warfare than you do at this point."

"You really want me to believe that, don't you?" Kim asked. "That you really studied child development _and_ psychology?"

"I really did." Shego said defensively. "Do you think I lied when I was under the influence of the Attitudinator? I couldn't even if I had wanted."

"You really couldn't lie back then?" Kim asked with a hint of surprise. "Not even a little white lie?"

"Nope. I tried. Believe me, I tried. But I just couldn't say or do what I knew to be false or bad. The only thing I could do was not mentioning things."

"Yeah, that's a terrible thing." Kim said with a slight shudder.

Shego looked at Kim in surprise. "You agree with me? Little miss goody two-shoos thinks it's a bad thing if one can only tell the truth?"

"Do you remember that truth ray Drakken once hit me with?" Kim asked.

"Oh yeah." Shego said emphatically. "Weird plan, lousy execution. 100 percent Dr. D."

"Well, that's when I learned how terrible it is if one is forced to speak the truth at any moment." Kim said with a sigh. "You wouldn't believe how many little white lies a person needs in just one day to avoid total social breakdown."

"You know that's actually, kinda creepy coming from you." Shego said. "I'd have expected that if there were one person who'd be a champion of absolute truthfulness, it'd be you. I don't know whether I should feel sad for humanity, or just satisfied for being right."

"Hey, I'm a hero, not a saint." Kim said half-jokingly "I'm still human, you know."

Shego nodded. "Yeah, the more time I spend with you, the more I can see that's true."

"So," Kim said. "Speaking of truth… how have you been able to get your Child Development accreditation? I seriously doubt that you took a sabbatical from your criminal activities for a few years to enroll at Go University or wherever."

"Distance learning, Kim" Shego said smugly. "The school of the future. It only took me half as much time as full-time courses would have taken."

Kim couldn't help but look at Shego in surprise. "That sounds pretty fast for evening courses."

Shego gave a small smile. "Well, you can say of Dr. D. what you want, but other than listening to his whining and Friday karaoke night, he's never been a highly demanding boss. I had a lot of free time, and I didn't spend all of it relaxing at Greek spas or listening to M.C. Honey."

Kim nodded that she understood "So, whatever made you take up Child Development?"

"Mostly because I already had a bachelor's in general psychology, and I wanted to do something different." Shego answered.

"Also while taking long-distance courses?" Kim guessed.

"Nope, that degree, I got while I still was part of Team Go." Shego said with a hint of pride.

"Back then?" Kim said with surprise. "But I thought you left Team Go shortly after becoming 18 years old?"

"I did." Shego confirmed. "I skipped a few grades." She saw the look of unbelief on Kim's face and continued. "Hey, I may not always look it, but I'm pretty damn clever. I was home-schooled and started College-equivalent courses when I was 16 years old. Probably one of the best things Hego ever did for me."

"Hego tutored you?!" Kim exclaimed in surprise.

Shego couldn't help but burst out laughing. After a few minutes or so, she looked at a baffled Kim and stood up, wiping a tear from her eye. "Certainly not Hego. He arranged for private tutors for us, though." She walked over to the small kitchenette in Kim's quarters and excused herself. "Sorry, but I really must have a drink now. Boy, I haven't laughed like that in a long time."

"But why did Hego arrange tutors for you?" Kim asked.

Shego closed the mini-fridge she had taken a can of soda from, laid her hands on the counter and slightly lowered her head. She still had her back towards Kim when she said in a low voice "No Kim. We're not going to have a _Memento_ replay here, where each memory causes a new question that is answered by an older memory."

"But Shego…" Kim started, and a familiar tremble sounded in her voice.

"Don't, Kim." Shego said curtly.

"Don't what?" Kim asked surprised.

"Don't use your infernal puppy-dog pout to get me to tell you what you want to know." Shego said, her back still turned towards her friend.

"What do you mean?" Kim asked innocently.

"You're still doing it." Shego said coldly. "I can hear it in your voice Kim. I thought you were my friend. Friends don't use emotional blackmail to get the information they want to have."

"I'm sorry Shego." Kim said softly with a hint of shame. "I didn't want to blackmail you. Honestly."

Shego gave a small grumble. "Good," she said "Listen, what happened when I still was with my brothers is highly personal and something I most definitely do not like to talk about, do you understand that?"

Kim nodded her head while she softly said "Yes."

"And if I ever decide to tell you what happened back then." Shego continued while she turned around to look Kim in the face "It will be because you are my friend, because I respect you and because I trust you with a part of my life I've always kept secret. I hope you can respect that."

"Of course." Kim said while she got up and continued to pack her bags. "I'm sorry."

"Good." Shego said while she walked over to Kim. "Now sit down so I can tell you what happened when I was a child."

"But…" Kim said in surprise. "I thought you didn't want to tell me?"

"No, Kim" Shego clarified. "I told you that I didn't want to make a copy of Memento. If I want to tell you that story correctly, it's always better to begin at the beginning."

"Really…?" Kim asked with a hint of skepticism "And what about all that stuff you said about only telling it 'if you ever decide to tell'?"

"Well," Shego said with a hint of a smile. "I never said when I might decide to tell you, did I? So sit down and let me tell you the terrible tale of how little Shego first became a super hero and turned into a fearsome criminal and arch-foe of teen hero Kim Possible."

_-- End of Chapter 8 --_

Next: A trip down Memory Lane


	9. Ch09 Looking Back

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion (andarion . deviantart . com) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions.

AN: Okay, so previous chapter was a little short, but as compensation, this one is a lot longer, and posted a lot sooner. Thank you all for the comments and other expressions of interest so far.

Also, this chapter contains a few more mature descriptions. Just like before, nothing graphic, but people who are offended by talk about the birds and the bees have been warned.

* * *

_Chapter 9 – Looking Back_

Shego sat back on the bed and took a drink from her soda. "When you first visited Go Tower," she started "Did Hego show you his 'origin of Team Go' movie?"

Kim nodded as she thought back to the short clip Hego had shown her and Ron when they first had found out that Shego had actually been a hero once. "Yeah. He showed us an animation of what had happened. Apparently, you guys were in a tree-house of some sort when it was struck by the Rainbow Meteorite that gave you all your powers."

Shego gave a small snort. "Yeah, that's the way he likes to remember it. The truth is a little different though."

"So you didn't get your powers from that meteorite?" Kim asked

"Oh, there was a meteorite, all right." Shego confirmed "And it did give us our powers. But it never hit our tree-house. You see, the boys had made that thing for the twins, who back then were hardly older than toddlers, and it was a rickety thing. It hardly stayed up in a stiff breeze, so image how it would survive being hit by a meteorite, even a little one. No, we just got hit by the radiation of it, while that damned thing actually crashed close-by." Shego gave a small sigh and took a sip from her soda. "Of all the places it could have hit," she said bitterly, "It crashed in the hall of our house and started a fire. My brothers and I were stunned by the radiation, and we only regained consciousness when we heard the sirens of the fire-fighters. We immediately tried to look for our parents, but they were nowhere to be found. Later we found out that it had been our neighbors who had called 911."

Kim had a horrible feeling of what was about to come, but she just had to ask it. "And your parents?"

Shego shook her head, confirming Kim's fears. "The investigators found their bodies the next day. They couldn't confirm whether they had been killed by the initial blast, or died of asphyxiation in the fire. So, from one day to the other, my brothers and I were orphans, and since we had no close relatives, my mother was an only child and my father's siblings were long dead, we entered the tender care of Uncle Sam. There was a trust-fund awaiting us, and our parents had arranged for good life-insurance as well, but since Hego was only 15 back then, we couldn't touch a single dime of it until he turned 18."

"So what happened then?" Kim inquired.

"Well, we were temporarily housed in an orphanage, awaiting a foster family that was willing to take responsibility for 5 kids." Shego explained. "Part of the provisions in our parents' testament was that there would be a monthly allowance for our foster parents, but only if we were staying together. Needless to say, the authorities needed some time to find a good candidate family."

"And how did people react on your powers?" Kim wanted to know.

"Actually, they didn't." Shego said. "We didn't know what had happened to us… yet."

"So you guys went to a foster family and that's where you found you had super powers?" Kim guessed.

Shego gave a sigh. "If only that had happened. Life would probably have gone completely different for me. You see, we first discovered our powers when we were in that orphanage, and when I say _we_, I actually mean Hego and me. I was only 12 years old back then, just getting to grips with puberty and realizing that boys are… well, boys. Obnoxious, whiny, bossy, insecure and only very rarely cute. And here I am, starting to become a woman, in a place where I'm forced to live not only close to my brothers, but with a whole pack of strangers. Let's just say my sunny disposition had an important formative phase in those days. Anyway, one of those other brats took an instant disliking to Mego. Don't ask me why, it was probably one of those things. Like you and that rival cheerleader you told me about. Now most of the time, Hego would be around, so Mego would usually be left alone. Hego was one of the oldest boys in the orphanage, and even back then, he was quite buff, quarterback at his school team, you know, the works. So nobody in his right mind would pick a fight with one of us when he was around."

"So the bully waited until he got Mego alone." Kim finished.

"Indeed. Mego was nearly 11 and the bully was 13. He actually got a chance to beat up Mego a few times until it happened. Mego and I were on the way of our rooms when we ran into the bully again. I tried to protect Mego, he was my kid brother after all, but the bully just pushed me away and I fell on the ground. I was angry, I felt frustrated and all of it just kinda burst out in one go. I don't remember what I actually did, but the first thing I remember afterwards is me being held in a tight grip by Hego while the nurse was treating that obnoxious kid." Shego paused for a moment and looked at Kim, who had a look of silent awe and surprise. "It didn't take long for me to end up in the director's office. The kid was being treated for second degree burns, and the only reason I didn't get kicked into juvie jail there and then was that they couldn't find any trace of an inflammatory substance on me, so they couldn't prove that I had actually caused those burns. Hego was with me and he told the director that he had feared that something like that might happen to me, but that he had hoped that he was the only one. Both I and the director didn't have a clue what he was talking about at first, so he explained that he was now convinced that the meteor's radiation had given us super-human powers. I actually laughed at him, telling him he'd been reading too much superhero comics, and the director told him the same, but formulated more politely. So Hego stood up from his chair, picked up the nearest filing cabinet with one hand and proposed to re-organize the director's office. That effectively shut us both up."

Kim gave a small smile. "Yeah, I can imagine. So what happened next?"

A deep frown came over Shego's face and she rubbed her eyes for a moment while she muttered "I hate this part. I wish I could just cut it out of my life." She looked back at Kim and continued. "Hego and I were carried off to a special government facility faster than you can say_constitutional rights infraction_. Apparently, in those days, there was a standing instruction to contact a special number as soon as 'something weird' happened. You might think that _Men in Black_ was a comedy… to me it looked suspiciously like a documentary. So there we were, in a special foster house for children with extra-ordinary powers and a whole platoon of scientists who wanted to know what made us tick. They asked us to show them our powers, and Hego was all too happy to oblige. The big guy just adores the attention, after all. In my case it took a little longer, partly because I refused to play along, but mostly because I had not a damn idea what I had done before or how I would have to do it again. In all honesty, I wasn't even sure I had actually done what they said I did. In those first days, I even hoped that it had been Mego who had done the damage. It took them nearly a week of prodding and cajoling before they started threatening. One of the things they threatened with was that Mego and the twins would be going back to the orphanage, while we would stay at their facility. The idea that Mego would be at the mercy of his bully made something snap inside of me, and I ignited again, taking down half an examination room before they had calmed me down again."

"And the people who were there with you?" Kim asked anxiously.

"Oh, don't worry about them." Shego scoffed. "They got the hell out of there when the first flames appeared. Why do you think I took out my frustration on the scenery?" She gave a sigh and continued. "Anyway, that second time, I was well aware of what I was doing, and this time there was no denying, I had super-powers, just like Hego. The big brass concluded that if both Hego and I had superpowers, there would be a big chance that our brothers had them as well, so the five of us were suddenly residents of the Meta-human Socialization Program. Which is just a fancy word for an orphanage specialized in turning children with special powers into tools of the state. Or at least, that was the original plan."

"You make it sound as if something went wrong" Kim said worriedly.

Shego gave a small derisive snort. "Oh things went wrong, all right. For starters, there's the fact that my disliking of 'The Man' and my loose morals about ownership are mostly due to my stay in that blasted place. But it wasn't only me. You'd probably be interested knowing that Electronique broke out of the same facility the year we were brought in." Kim looked at Shego with horrified surprise. "Yeah. Your tax-dollars at work there Princess. And 'nique wasn't the only one either. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that half of the super-powered villains in the US passed through that facility at one point or another in their life. But I will admit, with Hego, they had the perfect flag-ship. Hego took to the idea of being a shining defender of freedom like a fish to water. So we spent the next years in that facility. I detested it, Hego loved it, Mego didn't care one way or another as long as people acknowledged his existence and the twins didn't even notice anything weird going on."

"So your brothers also learned to use their powers when they were there?" Kim asked.

"Mego found out what he could do about a year after we were brought in. The twins a year after that." Shego confirmed.

"Do they also find out why your powers only had an effect on your and Mego's skin color?" Kim wanted to know.

Shego shook her head. "They never found a reasonable cause. Only likely explanations. The one that sounded the most probable to me is that Mego and me started to use our powers at the onset of puberty, while Hego was already a old enough to be mistaken for an adult, and the twins were still children. But then, anyone's guess is as good as that explanation."

"I guess so." Kim conceded. "So, what happened to you guys in that place?"

"Well, for starters, we got more medical examinations in a month than a normal person has in his life." Shego grumbled. "They never found out exactly what it was that caused our powers, though. We also got classes in a private school, with other kids who were 'special'." She said through clenched teeth while making air-quotes. "Still, most of them didn't show it on the outside, and most of them didn't have something as imposing as my plasma powers. So even amongst them, there were those who considered me a freak." Shego interrupted her story for a moment and stared at her hands. A small green flame appeared in the air above her hands and she sent it dancing along her fingers, while Kim looked at the trick with amazement. "After all, nobody of them could do something remotely as cool as this." As the flame dissipated, Shego looked back up and a small smile played on her lips. "You know, it's been ages since I performed that trick. 'Fine control and reasonable application of force' that was the main mantra of my trainers. I didn't know I still had it in me. Probably the best thing I learned in those days, how to control my powers. Well, that and martial arts. I positively loved the PE room they had. I had been something of a tomboy before the accident, which is to be expected when you spend most of your days with your four nutty brothers, but since I got the meteor powers, I've been bursting with energy, and nothing will burn up energy faster than a few heavy-duty martial arts classes."

Kim nodded her agreement with that statement. "So, you learned anything else outside of how to burn things down and kick some serious ass?"

"Nothing useful, that's for sure." Shego said sarcastically. "A lot of classes about civil rights and legal responsibilities, which were the height of irony since more than half of us had been 'recruited' against our will. Your basic history and language courses and stuff like that. No, I was more than happy when Hego got us out of there."

"How did…" Kim began, but Shego already interrupted her. "Hego was fascinated with the idea of being a superhero. As soon as he turned 18 and had access over our parents' inheritance, and the possibility to file for legal guardianship over us, he convinced the people in charge to let us go outside and form a super-hero team. He got his wish and they even set him up in the building that would later become Go-Tower. I thought that the whole idea of becoming super heroes was, well… silly. But Hego got me out of that accursed government facility, so I was thankful enough to humor him. Mego just did what his big brother told him to and the twins were still too young to risk their lives on behalf of other people any way. Besides, they had only learned how to use their powers less than a year before and frankly, weren't quite good at it yet. Unless it involved pulling a prank on one of us, that is. And that is the true origin of Team Go."

"Well, it certainly is less poetic." Kim chuckled. "But also a lot more gripping than Hego's version. So it was in those days that Hego set you guys up with a private tutor?"

Shego nodded. "The best thing he's ever done with our parent's money. It was a good tutor who managed to grip your interest. She could make the most boring subject interesting by using real-life examples, forcing you to participate in the class and techniques like that. Plus, you could always note that she was genuinely interested in the well-being of her pupils, even though it was only the four of us. It was such a change from the dead stiffs that had taught my in the years before, I flew through my classes and she was the person who inspired me to study Child Development."

"Really?" Kim asked in surprise.

"Oh yeah." Shego said emphatically. "I could totally see myself being a motivating teacher who is like a shining beacon to her students. So when I told her what I wanted to study, she advised me to start with a psychology bachelor's because that would be a good basis for later studies, and open more doors should I 'develop other interests along the line', as she put it. So I studied a lot and when it was clear that I would be getting my high-school equivalent after a year of being tutored by here, I applied for college-level psych courses, and got accepted. I guess that was one of the happiest days of my life."

"So what went wrong?" Kim asked "Why did you become a criminal? Hego suggested you just got fascinated with evil."

Shego snorted. "A simple explanation for a simple mind. I guess that my other brothers weren't around when he told you that." Kim nodded "Yeah, I thought so. I'm sure Mego would have set him straight. The three of us had a reasonably good time as heroes of Go City, I guess. We took on some super villains, like Avarius and Electronique, but most of the time, we stopped ordinary crime. Bank-robbers, muggers and such. We were something of an unofficial extension of the Go City PD. We couldn't actually arrest people, but we could detain them until the police took them of our hands. The average citizen was pretty happy with it, but we got called quite a lot of names by the talking heads, 'loose cannons' and 'vigilantes' for instance. The Go City underworld used a lot worse descriptions. You wouldn't believe how often I've heard the word 'freak' from the mouth of a person who had just committed a violent crime. Anyway, when they had finally turned 10 years old, the Wegoes had bugged Hego and me long enough to allow them to come along as part of the team. And after a few initial weeks of getting used to them tagging along, we had to accept that they were actually a very useful addition to the team. In that year, we were at our most effective. The fêted heroes of Go City. We were close to becoming national heroes, a lot like you and Ron, I guess. But fate decided differently."

"Your fall from Grace…" Kim said.

"Well, nothing so dramatic like that," Shego said. "But, yeah. You see, what happened is that while we became more effective in our job, we also fell under much closer scrutiny. We were non affiliated after all, and some of the bigger criminals in Go City, you know, the ones sitting in their pretty offices who, if you scratch away 10 layers of bogus companies turn out to run half the organized crime in the city, started to sick their lawyers on us each time we prevented another crime. Though there is no law that can prohibit people from making a citizen's arrest, there is the matter of the use of violence. The better we became, the more we had to make sure that the police received their package in one piece. In my last two months as a member of Team Go, no less than 5 criminals were let free because they had been hurt by us during their arrest."

"But, that's ridiculous!" Kim exclaimed. "There's such a thing as acceptable use of violence! And what about the right to self-defense?"

"Well, you're the one who's studying criminal science, you tell me." Shego agreed. "But what we kept hearing was that 'reasonable use of violence' is limited to duly appointed officers of the law, which we weren't. And the right to self-defense only applies when one is attacked, not when one actively seeks out a fight. Or at least, those were the points those lawyers brought up. And since they were backed by the big bucks, more and more people went along with the idea. Especially when they started to use the media to smear our reputation."

"Were they out of their mind?!" Kim asked indignantly.

"Kim, haven't you found out by now that people are sheep?" Shego countered. "Most people don't think for themselves. They just repeat whatever the loudest pundit said the day before on the air. I started to dislike the whole hero concept more and more with each job we did. Especially after I turned 18 and the media considered that as a declaration that the gloves were off now. They still cut Mego and the Wegoes some slack, but Hego and me, they followed and analyzed our every move. Now as you have probably already noticed, Hego is too pre-occupied with being a shining beacon of goodness to even care how strongly people interfere with his life, but I need my privacy. So with every passing day, I got more and more fed up with the ingrates in our city, and then, one day, the proverbial drop fell. We were called in to take care of a bank robbery with a hostage situation, and the robbers had actually taken the effort of studying our moves. One of them managed to catch one of the Wegoes and threatened to shoot him. I lost it then and there and shot a full blast into his face. He dropped Wego and his weapon, and when his mates saw my fire, they quickly dropped their weapons as well. I will admit that I was pretty shocked by my own use of violence, because until that moment, I had only used it defensively or on inanimate objects, never offensively against a human being. So while the paramedics were helping him on the stretcher, I tried to get to him and, well, offer my apologies. But despite his wounds and the tranquilizers, when he saw me, he raged 'What kind of monster are you?' I was really shocked by that. Then, a few days later, we got an even bigger shock. Not only was he released from prison because he hadn't been arrested according to procedure, he sued me! Sued me for inflicting grievous bodily harm! Hego tried to talk reason with the DA, but he told us that there was no way he could avoid this going to court, unless I would plead guilty, in which case I would probably 'get off' with only 6 months of which 2 would be effective. That's when I told the DA and the whole of Go City that they could stick their public safety where the sun don't shine and I left Team Go."

"Wow…." Kim said silently. "Wow…"

"Yeah." Shego sighed.

"Wow…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kim and Shego were standing next to each other in Shego's quarters. Shego went through a basic tai chi routine while Kim copied her movements almost perfectly. They had been training only for a few weeks now, and in the meantime, Kim had to take her Mid-terms as well, but the petite hero picked up the movements with surprising speed. Her biggest challenge was, as Shego had already suggested, controlling her speed and to concentrate on performing the exercises at a speed that lay way below Kim's normal operating velocities.

It had become something of a ritual after Kim had gone back to college. Kim would come by for her weekly visit, Shego would teach Kim tai chi for an hour and after that, they would fall back to their friendly conversations. Kim still brought her treats, though Shego would share them more often with Kim now.

The month that had passed since Kim returned to her normal schedule had had a profound impact on Shego. She had been training every day for an hour, now that Dr. Director had given her access to GJ's training facilities, under heavy guard of course. It hadn't taken long for Shego to work herself back to her old physical conditions, but boredom was now looming above her head. That was why her quarters no longer contained books about motherhood but advanced psychology courses. Shego would never have suspected that forced inactivity would bother her so much; she even had no fellow inmates to bug now. She had jumped on the opportunity to teach Kim the basics of tai chi with eagerness, even though it had been a challenge to get Kim past the first stage of basic concentration and breath control.

When they finished their series of exercises, Shego went to fresh up and Kim unpacked a fresh cake she had brought along and cut it in a few pieces. When Shego tasted the cake, she was surprised by the quality and asked Kim where she'd bought it. "Oh, no." Kim replied. "This is home-made cake. Fresh from the oven this morning."

Shego looked at Kim in surprise. "You baked it yourself?" she asked, unable to suppress her amazement.

Kim laughed. "No, this is Ron's doing. He had to make 10 cakes this morning, some kind of exercise to maintain quality over large numbers he told me. He gave me one to bring along."

"He knew you'd come to see me and he gave you a cake he baked so I could taste it?" Shego sounded even more surprised than when she thought Kim had baked it. Kim nodded her confirmation. "Are you sure I don't need to check for poison first?" Shego asked a tad suspiciously.

"He knew that I'd be eating it as well, so I'm pretty sure you're safe." Kim re-assured Shego. "Actually, I get the feeling that Ron is feeling more at ease about our friendship since that fight we had. Probably because I explained him that it was your counseling that brought us closer together."

Shego took a second piece of cake. "Well, you can tell him that he certainly makes great cakes. This even makes me curious about the rest of his culinary qualities."

"I hope you'll be able to find out for yourself soon," Kim said. "Without the need for him to come over the GJ HQ to cater a meal."

"You mean me going to a restaurant as a free woman?" Shego asked. Kim nodded and Shego sighed. "I'm not getting my hopes up for that one any time soon. Dr. Director owns me right now, and she knows it. I don't think I'll just walk out of here anytime soon."

Kim sighed and took another bite from her cake, knowing but not wanting to admit that Shego was probably right. She swallowed and silently took a sip from her coffee, unsure of how to continue the conversation, or how to bring up the other subject that had been bugging her. Shego, however, had learned to read Kim in the last half year and quickly understood that Kim's uncomfortable silence wasn't due just to the remark she had just made. As always, Shego went for the straight attack. "But there's something else you want to ask me, don't you Kimmie?"

Kim sighed, partly in relief and partly because of her anxiety to bring up the subject. "Well, yes. As you know, Ron and I worked out the differences we had after your loss. And your advice to me has made us more… easy around each other. I guess the cake is actually a way of Ron's to say 'thanks' for all that."

"I'm happy to hear that." Shego said "But I thought we had already covered all that before. So what's new?"

Kim swallowed "Well, with all the renewed … er… happiness we have to be around each other, I was … ah… wondering how we can know that the time is right to … ah…"

Shego looked at the stammering teen and saw how her blushing cheeks nearly became as red as her fiery hair. "Kimmie," She said "Are you trying to tell me that you and your boyfriend are still virgins and you want to know whether you're ready for sex?"

Kim exhaled in relief. "Yes. Well, I don't know for Ron, but I am pretty sure. But yes on the rest of your question."

"Wow!" Shego said. "I'm honestly surprised that you come to me for that question. I mean, isn't your best friend also your roommate? I would have expected you to share such girl-talk with her. Not that I'm displeased that you ask me, mind you."

"I did think of talking it over with Monique." Kim confirmed. "But the thing is, I'm not so sure about her own experiences. I mean, she talks the talk, but I've never actually seen her with somebody who comes close to being a boyfriend."

"And you know that I_do_ have the experience?" Shego asked teasingly.

Kim smiled sheepishly. "Well, you did have that whole getting pregnant thing, and from your description, I could understand that it wasn't the first time either."

"My goodness, no!" Shego chuckled. "Not that I'm some kind of lusty slut who dives in bed with everybody she fancies, though." She hastened to add. "Anyway… what is it you want to know. When you know you are ready? Or more like… general pointers?"

Kim blushed again. "Well, I'm actually pretty sure that we are ready." She said softly "But what I'm most … concerned about…" she looked Shego right in the eyes "Does it hurt? I mean, the first time?"

"Oh, boy." Shego said. "Excuse me a second." And she stood up and walked over to a closet. A moment later she returned with two glasses and a bottle of wine.

"You're drinking again?" Kim asked in surprise.

"Not 'again'" Shego re-assured Kim. "I got this bottle for Christmas and kept it for something special. I guess that having a serious talk about sex with my former teen-aged foe is about as special as you can get, don't you?"

"Er… and what about that whole me being a minor?" Kim inquired.

"Ah, piffle!" Shego dismissed the concern. "You're nearly 19 years old. You've saved this world more often than most adults. And since I don't even know in which state I'm being held, how can I be sure you're considered a minor in that state?"

"Well, actually, we're in…" Kim started.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Shego interrupted her. "Hear no evil, see no evil."

_Oh well_, Kim shrugged. _It's not like she's robbing laboratories for high-tech prototypes_.

Shego filled the glasses and Kim took a careful sip from her glass. Well, at least it tasted better than the few beers she had drunk at college so far.

Shego sat back and took a drink from her glass and looked intently at Kim. "So, the big question. Does it hurt?" she gave a little sigh before continuing "I'm afraid I can't speak from my own experience, but general consensus is that it's usually a sharp, short pain which gets lost within the other sensations soon enough, especially if its part of a loving moment of passion."

Kim looked slightly surprised at Shego. "How come you don't remember what it felt like?"

"Because for me, the whole experience was less than nice, that's why." Shego said while she took another sip from her glass. She looked at Kim and saw the question practically burning in the young woman's eyes. "You're dying to ask me for more details, aren't you?" Shego asked with an amused smile. Kim blushed and nodded.

"Well, there's a reason I took out the wine." Shego said. "I guess it's time I told somebody. They say it's therapeutic to share bad experiences with people you trust. Plus, it might help you later to recognize the same situation happening to an innocent person, giving you a chance to help them before the real damage is done."

Shego steeled herself for the looks of disapproval she was sure she'd get from Kim during her trip down memory lane and began. "After I left Team Go, I tried to make a name for myself in the community of evil-doers. Contrary to what you'd think, that turned out to be pretty difficult. At first, I limited myself to Go City, where most of the underground suspected me of being an infiltrator. So I left Go City and tried to make a name in other big cities, like New York, San Francisco and LA. Sure, nobody there knew of my history with Team Go, but that also meant they didn't know my powers, and only saw a girl in her late teens. Most of those days, I only spent my time hanging around in disreputable bars, looking as ruthless as possible and hoping that I'd be contacted for a job. Needless to say, most of the jobs people thought to hire me for were _**not**_ what I had in mind."

At the slightly confused look of Kim, Shego clarified. "They thought I was some kind of call-girl." Kim made a silent "O" and started to blush. "Did you, you know…" Kim stammered.

"Hell, no!" Shego said vehemently. "I never was in need of money like that. I might not have been hired like I hoped, but I certainly managed to use my skills to maintain myself." She took another drink "Those indecent proposals got me blacklisted in quite some heavy duty bars, actually." Shego continued with a grin. "My usual reaction to them was just ignoring them or giving a snide remark, but some hopefuls could be very insistent, and I'd be forced to show them what kind of skills I _did_ have for hire. Most bartenders, however, are very loathe to let you back in after you have broken half of their furniture on the skulls of their regular clientele." Kim couldn't help but chuckle at Shego's remark. That was definitely like the Shego she had come to know.

"Still, it was that short fuse that finally landed me a decent job." Shego continued. "At the time, I was in San Francisco, and once again needed to forcefully show that I was not a prostitute. It was actually quite enjoyable, until the cops arrived. As you might guess, I didn't stick around and left through the backdoor, along with the few visitors who could still stand. When I wanted to walk away, I was held up by a hulking tough guy who turned out to have the intelligence of a stunned herring. Think Motor Ed but dumb it down a notch or two." Kim couldn't help but shudder at that mental image.

"Indeed." Shego said. "Anyway, as it turned out, one of the people that got knocked out quite early in the fight, and afterwards got himself arrested by the police, was his partner-in-crime and the brains in their little outfit. The thing was, they had a job for that evening, and our tough guy thought he could bully me into replacing his partner. I took the job, because I could use the introduction into the underworld, but I quickly discovered that my partner wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. So after a few jobs, it was me who ran our little operation. His connections and my smarts gave me the opening I needed to start making a name for myself in the business. Unfortunately, after a few weeks, his buddy got out of jail and he assumed that he would automatically be in charge. He didn't mind having another helpful hand in his gang, but he wouldn't think of letting his position be usurped. And the big oaf defaulted to listening to the person he had listened to for the longest."

Shego took a short pause to take a drink and continued. "So I thought that I'd use guile to bring the big guy over to my side. Stupid, I know that now. I should just have shown them both I was their superior both in brain and brawn, but I was still a newbie back then. I guess I had watched too many movies, because I actually tried to seduce the big guy and use his dependency on me to have him support me as the boss. If I had known then what I know now… You can't use sex to lead somebody your way if you don't already have them in your thrall. To make a painfully long story short, the big oaf jumped on the possibility to use me, but he never lusted after me, so I had no power over him, at least not that way. I guess the only good thing was that he was a self-absorbed ass who thankfully was exhausted in one go. The only reason I can't call what happened that night rape, is that I started it myself and I didn't use my powers to stop it when I could. Needless to say, the whole ordeal was painful, and it took me nearly a year before I had worked up the courage, I can't use another word for it, to have sex again."

Kim looked at Shego with pity in her eyes. She had never thought that Shego's initiation into the underworld had been so difficult. For some reason, she had imagined that on the day Shego decided that she'd become a villain, she immediately became the top predator she had been when they first met. She couldn't help to be amazed at the stubbornness Shego must have felt in those days. "So, what happened with those guys?" Kim finally asked.

"What do you think?" Shego said bitterly "I lost what little respect the oaf had had for me before, doy! I quickly noticed that I couldn't stay with those two for much longer, or I'd have fried both of them. Fortunately, my exploits had become known in wider circles and when I got a mail from a certain mad scientist who was looking for a body-guard annex cat-burglar, I left my 'partners' and went looking for better employment. But not after I left an anonymous letter with the local police on where they might find some interesting stolen goods." She added with a satisfied smile.

Kim took another sip from her wine. "Well, that's quite the story Shego." She said. "I'm really sorry to hear that things were so terrible for you back then."

"Yeah, well, I guess that's part of what made me deal with what came later on and what helped giving me my sunny disposition." Shego said. "I also became highly skeptical about such things as love and sexuality. As I told you, it took me nearly a year before I had sex again, and every time, I must be in full control. I guess that not having been in control, or at least the possibility of not having been in control, freaked me out more than anything else about that week-end after your graduation. Fortunately for most women, my experiences were anything but typical. Most seem to be perfectly happy to have somebody to share their bed with. Heck, when I was doing time, I've seen women go week at the knees with anticipation when a conjugal visit was coming up. So I guess that you've got nothing to be worried about. Sex in a loving relationship is probably one of the greatest things we can experience in this life."

Shego finished her glass before adding with a hint of regret "It's just not meant to be for me."

_--End of chapter 9—_

Next: Kim… well, you know…


	10. Ch10 Union

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion (andarion . deviantart . com) and Judamacaby (at KP/ haven) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions.

AN: Whew, finally. I didn't expect this chapter would take so long to write, but let's just say that I'm better at writing conversation than at describing action. Still, I hope that you like the result, and will forgive me the long wait.

Also, the heat gets a little turned up in this chapter, so to be on the safe side, I've changed the rating from "T" to "M". It's still not very naughty, but a little more descriptive, so I guess what I want to say is… sensitive souls have been warned. Lemon warned, that is.

And in other news, a great piece of art inspired by chapters 5 has been posted by tenshichan1013 on dA. For those who are interested, the link can be found on my profile page.

* * *

_Chapter 10 - Union_

Three weeks came and went, and every week, Shego expected Kim to come in with a slightly bemused but satisfied look in her eyes. However, Shego had to conclude, either Kim had become real good at hiding her emotions, or things weren't exactly going as planned.

By the third week, Shego did notice another change in Kim, however. The young woman seemed to be more high-strung than ever before. During their tai-chi exercises, it seemed to take an eternity for Kim to get her breathing under control. It even took her longer than it had during those difficult first sessions when Shego started to show Kim the basics of tai-chi. After 15 minutes, Kim was still struggling with her breathing and Shego decided to call it a day. "Okay Princess." She said. "Time-out!"

"Wha… Why?" Kim asked.

"Kim," Shego nearly scolded her. "You're as high-strung as a Weiner-dog after a dozen cappuccinos. What the blazes is wrong with you? Is the buffoon giving you a hard time again?"

"Oh no, definitely not." Kim quickly said. "He's been the perfect gentleman lately."

"So what's up with you then, girl?" Shego pressed.

Kim sighed and sat down on the couch. "Well, I guess he's maybe a tad too much of a gentleman. He always keeps his hands to himself, no touching that might be considered to be 'inappropriate'. He makes no requests. Heck, he doesn't even make subtle hints."

Shego sat herself next to Kim and lightly shook her head. "This is going to be a sequel to that 'first time' talk we had a few weeks ago, right?" she asked and Kim nodded mutely as a red haze crept up her cheeks. "And you, Kim?" Shego continued. "Have you made hints? Subtle, or not so subtle?"

"Well… not really, no." Kim admitted.

"And why not, Kim?" Shego inquired. "Is there a specific reason you want Ron to make the first move? Are you afraid, maybe?"

"No, that's not it." Kim said silently. "It's just… well, I guess I want it to be perfect. You know. It's maybe a little corny, but I want the romantic cliché, being swept of my feet. The right thing at the right time… but the right time just doesn't seem to come."

Shego gave a small smile as she asked Kim. "And what might that 'right time' be then?"

"Well, in all honestly," Kim admitted. "I don't know. But when the moment is there, I'll know it, won't I? And so will Ron."

Shego slightly shook her head "Kim, Kim, Kim. You watch too much _Agony County_. The right moment just doesn't come along like that if you wait for it. Sure, there might be a moment, or even several moments in your life, when it will be the perfect moment for you and your partner for an absolutely passionate night. But the 'perfect moment' for your first time together? How would you recognize it if you don't even know _what_ to expect? You're not some damsel in distress who needs to be liberated from her captors and her virginity by the dashing hero. Women like you and me Kim, we _make_ the moment."

"You think?" Kim asked half-convinced.

"Of course we do." Shego said resolutely. "How often have you let others dictate your life? Never! So why should this time be any different?"

"Well, if you put it like that…" Kim said with a mischievous grin.

"Oh, and Kim, one more thing." Shego said sternly. "Don't expect him to be prepared. Make sure you've got protection within easy reach. I'm sure you'll be a great mom, but I don't think you're ready to put that theory to the test already."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kim was looking at herself in the mirror when Monique entered their dorm room. "The LBD?" Monique asked with a hint of surprise. "I thought Ron was just planning another Bueno Nacho Night. Did the plans change?"

Kim gave a small smile "Well, he doesn't know about it yet," she replied. "But he's certainly gonna take me places tonight."

Kim turned around and showed herself to Monique. "So what do you think? Does it still fit OK? It's been a while after all."

"It sure has." Monique confirmed. "You really should wear that dress more often, girl. Black suits you, even when it _isn't_ a mission outfit. And yes, it still fits you perfectly, though you're filling it a little better now than you did before." She added with a sly wink.

"What do you mean?" Kim asked.

"Oh come on," Monique said. "Don't play coy with me. You know perfectly well what I mean. When somebody sees you like that, they must be brain-dead if they don't see a gorgeous young woman, instead of a free-lance hero. You could even pull off a lower cleavage now. I guess it feels good to start outclassing Bonny on that field as well, huh?"

"I don't know." Kim said a little self-conscious. "I mean, I know they've grown lately, but sometimes I'm afraid that might prove to be a problem to do my missions as well as before."

"Hey, it works for Lara Croft." Monique joked. "And Shego didn't seem to have a lot of problems with it either."

"Yeah," Kim conceded. "I guess you've got a point there. So, you guess Ron will like it?"

Monique snorted. "Kim, if he doesn't like it, send him off to a priest's seminar. Because not only will that mean he's gayer than the night is dark, but it'll also be an indication that he's drier than a stick in the desert in his pants."

"Monique!" Kim exclaimed shocked.

Monique chuckled at her friend's expression. "So, you've got big plans for this evening?" she asked.

"Yes" Kim confirmed, as she got out of the dress and put on her normal clothes. "And I've got something of favor to ask you."

"Really?" Monique asked "And what might that be?"

"Well," Kim began "After Ron has come over, would you mind going out for the evening? Pick a movie, maybe? My treat."

"Sure girl." Monique said. "No sweat. Should I take the early or the late screening? I wouldn't want to drop in on you too early." She said with a wink.

Kim ran her hand through her hair while she stammered "Well, er… I'd kinda hoped… er … that you might … well … sleep somewhere else?"

"Why…" Monique began, when realization hit her. "oh… oooh!..."

Kim gave a sheepish shrug when she saw that Monique's cheeks became a darker brown for a moment.

"Well, I guess I can crash with Jenny for the night." Monique said as neutral as possible. "I'll call her in a moment."

"Thanks so much, Monique!" Kim said relieved. "But there's one more favor I'd have to ask of you."

"More?" Monique blurted.

"Er, yes…Do you think you might be able to take Rufus along as well?" Kim asked.

"Rufus?" Monique couldn't hide her surprise. "You want me to take a naked mole rat to the movies?"

"Er, yes… if it's not too much to ask." Kim confirmed. "It would really mean a lot to me, Monique. I want to be alone with Ron this evening, and that means I really have no desire to hear Rufus' comments. Sometimes, that rodent is way too clever to my liking. Please? You know I wouldn't ask you something like that lightly."

Monique looked at Kim in silence, as if she expected something more from her friend. After a few moments, she finally said. "Well, Kim, I must say… I'm surprised."

"You're surprised I want to have an evening alone with Ron?" Kim asked.

"Oh no, not that." Monique said quickly. "If anything, I think it's about time. The two of you have been together for more than a year and a half now, so if you want to have some quality time alone with your BF, good for you! No what surprises me is that you didn't hit me with your PDP."

Kim thought a second about that last word, and though she had a good idea what Monique meant, she still wanted confirmation. "PDP?"

Monique sighed. "Your puppy dog pout. Your sure-fire way to get people to do what you want."

Kim blushed lightly and finally said "Well, it's been pointed out to me that it's a tactic I shouldn't be using on people I consider to be my friends."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." Monique said. "Anyway. Sure, I'll pick Rufus along. I hope he won't freak out Jenny, though. So you have big plans for Ron tonight, huh?" Kim nodded silently. "Good for you girl."

"So you approve?" Kim asked, surprised by her own relief at Monique's reaction.

"Why wouldn't I?" Monique replied. "I've known the two of you for years, and you're my best friends. I've seen Ron evolve from a loveable doofus to a half-way decent young man who is deeply in love with you. I'll probably never understand how the two of you are able to overcome your long history of just being friends, but that only makes the two of you more special than you already are. You two make each other happy, and with all the two of you have done for the world, God knows you deserve your happiness. So I say… go for it girl!" Monique stood up and gave Kim a hug. "As long as it makes you happy, you know that you'll have my support. And now if you'll excuse me, I've got a phone call to make to ensure you've got the dorm for yourself tonight."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Monique opened the door when Ron came knocking in the early evening. "Hello Monique," Ron said pleasantly. "Is Kim rea… uuuhhh… whoooahw!" As soon as Ron saw Kim's outfit, his capacity to formulate coherent thoughts seemed to have gone out of the window and he stared at her in wide-eyed wonder.

"Yeah, I do think she's ready." Monique remarked. "And why don't you come inside? You're blocking the door."

Ron staggered inside the dorm as if his legs were no longer under his control, unable to take his eyes off Kim. From Ron's hip-pocket, Rufus peeked out his head to see why his master seemed to have turned into a zombie. A short look at Kim told him a lot. Years of living together with Ron had taught him what human males considered to be visually attractive, and the sight in front of him certainly scored high by any standard. But more importantly, his fine-tuned mammalian nose picked up a scent that left nothing to the imagination, except for the three humans who seemed completely oblivious to their own pheromones, even though the room's atmosphere was thick with it. "Uh oh…" he muttered silently.

Ron continued to stare at Kim when Monique gave him a sharp elbow-jab in the side and hissed "Say something, white boy!"

"Er… Kim…you… er… I see you're .. ah… wearing your… er… black dress…" Ron stammered.

Monique gave a sigh while Rufus slapped his forepaw against his forehead. Shaking her head, Monique went to the closet and picked out her coat. "Well, Kim" she said, "I'm going to leave you and Captain Obvious alone for the moment. I'm off to the movies."

"Enjoy yourself, Monique." Kim said pleasantly, and then added. "Are you going alone?"

"Well, as a matter of fact," Monique said as she turned towards Ron "I was wondering whether Rufus would like to come along."

"Huh wha…?" Ron said, momentarily distracted from the vision in front of him. "You want to take Rufus to the movies with you?"

"Well yeah." Monique replied. "I haven't had a date for ages, and Rufus can be good company. At least he knows how to treat a lady."

"Well, I don't know whether he would like to…" Ron began.

"Of course, snacks will be on me." Monique added. "I understand the movie theatre does a great Mega Portion nachos with Extra Cheese-sauce."

"Cheese!" A happy cry went up from Ron's hip-pocket and continued along his back as Rufus scampered along Ron's shirt and a moment later stood expectantly on his shoulder. He took a bow towards Monique and squeaked "M'lady!" Monique gave a fond smile and held out her hand. Rufus quickly jumped on it and turned towards Ron making a waving gesture and saying "Buh bye!"

"Well, it looks like you've got a chaperone for the evening, Monique." Ron said with a laugh. "Behave yourself, buddy." He warned his friend.

Rufus shrugged his shoulder in a gesture that seemed to say _we'll see what happens_ as Monique put him in her purse. "I hope he won't mind spending some time there." She said a little concerned.

"Oh, don't worry." Ron set her mind at ease. "As long as he's somewhere reasonably dark and doesn't have to walk himself, he's perfectly happy." To underscore Ron's re-assurance, Rufus poked his head out off Monique's purse and gave a thumbs up signal.

"Okay then," Monique said as she closed her coat. "Enjoy yourselves. I'll see you tomorrow, Kim."

"Great." Kim said. "Enjoy yourself as well." She added as the door closed behind Monique.

"Wait a moment," Ron said in surprise. "Did Monique just say 'see you tomorrow'?"

"Yes, she's staying over at a friend's" Kim confirmed.

"But Rufus is with her!" Ron exclaimed. "He's gonna be worried sick if Monique doesn't come home this evening!"

Kim walked over to Ron and laid a hand against his cheek. "Don't worry about Rufus, Ron. Monique will take good care of him. Besides, Rufus is big and clever enough to take care of himself for just one evening."

"Well… you're probably right." Ron said a little doubtful. "But he still won't like it, I'm afraid."

Kim gave a small smile. "If I know Monique well enough, she'll make sure that Rufus will hardly notice that it takes such a long time."

Ron looked at Kim and his worries melted like snow before the sun. "So... er…I'm not in trouble, I hope. Is there something I forgot?"

"Why would you think that?" Kim asked.

"Well... er… What you're wearing isn't exactly Bueno Nacho night clothes." Ron explained "I feel kinda underdressed. Should I go back to my place and get changed?"

"Oh no, don't worry." Kim re-assured Ron. "I just felt like trying on this dress again. But I don't think we're going to Bueno Nacho tonight."

"Oh…" Ron said slightly disappointed. Suddenly, realisation hit and he exclaimed "Oh my God! Don't tell me you're under the influence of some mind-altering technology again!"

"Of course not." Kim said indignantly "Why would you think something like that?"

"Well, you've only worn that dress at our anniversary and when you had that Moodulator on you." Ron explained. He lifted Kim's hair to look at her neck. "Are you sure there is no strange technology anywhere on your body?"

Kim pushed away his hands "Don't be so silly, Ron" she said slightly vexed, realising that the effect of her original appearance had completely gone now. "This is just me, nothing else. Why did you think something so ridiculous?"

Ron shrugged sheepishly. "Well, things like that keep happening to us, you know." He explained. "Everything is going great for a while, and then something makes one of us, or both of us, act strange, and I screw up everything."

Kim gave a small sigh. Ron was right, of course, things like that did happen all too often to them. She couldn't blame him for being wary if she suddenly decided to break with her normal behaviour. She decided it was time to put Ron at ease again. "Don't worry, Ron" she said sweetly. "I just wanted us to have a nice romantic evening without any distractions. That's why I sent for take-away food." She checked her watch and added "Which should be here in 15 minutes."

"I didn't know that the Bueno Nacho here delivered." Ron said.

"They don't" Kim confirmed, "which is why we're having something else." Before Ron could raise any objections, Kim pointed at a collapsible table that was standing against the wall. "Would you mind setting that up?" she asked sweetly. "I would do it myself, but I wouldn't want to risk ripping this dress."

Ron remembered how, the first time he had seen Kim in that dress, she hadn't been worried about ripping it once the Moodulator had gotten stuck on anger. He wisely decided not to mention it, though. While he set up the table, he stole a few looks at Kim who had just put the dorm's two chairs next to the table and now walked to the dorm's fridge. He couldn't help but notice how great Kim looked in this dress, or any dress for that matter. He was so used to see Kim in rather form-fitting mission clothes, he was actually surprised to notice that seeing Kim in a dress made her sexier to him. He didn't really know why, maybe it was because it left her arms and legs bare, maybe it was that it left more to the imagination, or maybe it was that when she wore a dress, Kim was obviously a young woman, but he realised that the sight he was seeing tonight was a rare privilege he would be treasuring forever.

Kim came back from the fridge and put two cans of soda and two glasses on the table. She embraced Ron from behind and softly said in his ear "So Mr. Hotel School student, what does etiquette say about take-away? How many plates, forks and knives? And what about the cans?"

Ron gulped as he felt Kim's body pressing against his back. "Well, actually, the only thing we will ever see about take-away is how to package it." He said, fighting to control his voice. "So I guess you're fine just doing what you think best."

Kim gave a quick peck on Ron's cheek. "One plate each it is then." she said and walked to the small cupboard over the fridge to pick what she needed. Ron stood still for a while, slightly baffled at what had just happened. It was not that he hadn't felt Kim's body that close to him before. During missions, the two of them had been in various cramped situations that could only be called _intimate_. But those contacts had been accidental or forced on them by exterior circumstances while this… this had been a deliberate move from Kim's part. Ron was wondering how he would have to deal with this new development when somebody knocked on the door. "Oh Ron," Kim said. "That'll be dinner. Would you get that, please?" Ron opened the door and paid for dinner while Kim set the plates on the table. The smell coming from the bags made it clear that Kim had decided to order Chinese. _Not a bad choice_, Ron admitted.

While Ron was setting dinner on the table, Kim walked past him to pick something from the fridge, as she did so, her hip brushed noticeable against Ron's groin. Ron nearly froze in place. He could hardly believe what had just happened. Admittedly, the table occupied most of the dorm's space that wasn't taken up by the girls' beds, so it _could_ have been an accidental contact, but part of Ron's anatomy seemed to be unimpressed by the reasoning and came to its own conclusions, which caused an uncomfortable pressure in Ron's pants.

Ron quickly sat himself at the furthest chair so Kim wouldn't need to walk past him again, just to be sure, and after Kim had come back with a jar of pickles, the two of them started their dinner. They talked about everyday things like they would do on any other day, but half of the time, Ron couldn't keep his eyes off Kim, wondering whether he had been imagining things, or whether Kim had really been coming on to him.

After dinner was over, Kim asked Ron to break up the table again to give them a little space. While Ron did so, Kim went to the fridge for a small desert which, according to her, they could eat just as well when seated on her bed. Ron didn't really know what to think of that remark, even though they had been sitting on each others' beds often before during their visits, space being a luxury commodity in student dorms. But something in the way she said it, made Ron strongly aware that this was Kim's _bed_. The place where she went to sleep each night… well, nearly each night. Wearing nothing but a T-shirt and… Ron shook his head, trying to get rid of the image that was quickly forming in his head. Fortunately, Kim came with a welcome distraction in the form of ice-cream. Though the whipped cream and chocolate sauce caused other images to play in Ron's head. Ron silently ate his ice-cream and wondered what he could talk about that was innocent enough to get his mind off the track it was following now. As he looked at Kim who was quietly taking tiny bites from her ice-cream, and at one point needed to lick some chocolate sauce from her lower lip, he realised that not thinking about Kim like that would probably become the most heroic fight he'd ever fought.

However, the ice-cream didn't last long, and soon, Ron found himself sitting close to Kim on her bed with nothing he could humanly conceive to distract him from the vivid images playing in his head. He sincerely hoped that Kim wouldn't wonder why he was sitting with his legs crossed and occasionally gave small grimaces of pain when he moved, because some parts of his body were getting very uncomfortable indeed.

"So, did you enjoy dinner?" Kim asked.

"Huh… oh, yeah... sure." Ron stammered. "So… er… did you have other plans for tonight? Were you hoping that I would take you out somewhere, because if that's what you want…"

Kim laid her finger over Ron's mouth and quietly shushed him. "No, I didn't expect to go out today. I only wore the dress because I wanted to be pretty for you. You do like it, no?" Ron mutely nodded while he tried to keep looking at Kim's face. Kim smiled and leaned forward pressing a passionate kiss on Ron's lips. Ron quickly answered the kiss and wrapped his arms around Kim's neck while Kim's hands stroked his cheeks and hair.

The kiss continued and Ron started to loose the self-consciousness of a few moments earlier, and he pulled Kim closer to him, his hands starting to stroke Kim's back. Kim gave herself over to the embrace and pushed herself close to Ron. The feeling of her breasts, softly pushing against his chest shocked him out of the passionate moment. He broke the kiss and loosened his embrace. "Kim," he whispered "What're we doing here?"

Kim looked at Ron, whose face was a mixture of anxiety, wonder and arousal. She smiled and gave him a small kiss on the tip of his nose. She then bent forward and kissed Ron in his neck and worked her way upward towards his ear. All the while, Ron sat unmoving, still embracing Kim and feeling minor shocks of pleasure and excitement running through his body. When Kim's mouth had finally reached Ron's ear, she lightly nibbled his lobe and whispered "Something for which we have been waiting for a looong time." She then moved her head back a little and looked Ron straight in the eyes. "Unless you think you're not ready for it, yet." She added.

Ron swallowed and sent out a silent _Thank you Lord!_ as he answered "Oh, I'm ready, all right! At least, I'm quite certain I'm ready. I just didn't know whether you were ready." He added with a sheepish grin.

"As ready as one can be without actual practice." Kim said with a fond smile as she bent forward for another kiss. This time, the embrace was tighter, and Ron didn't get distracted by Kim's breasts pushing against his chest… much. He was still hugging her closely with one hand on her back while the other was lost in Kim's big red mane of hair. Kim gave herself fully to Ron's embrace, feeling his hands running over her back and through her hair and noticed a very typical pressure against her thigh. After a few minutes in this embrace, Kim pushed Ron down on her bed. She sat herself on his thighs, partly pinning him down, while she put her hands on her back and opened the zipper of her dress. "Isn't this all going a little... er… fast?" Ron wondered. He had hoped that with a little luck, he'd reach second base this evening, but now it seemed almost as if he had wandered into a Penthouse forum letter, and he wasn't sure he liked it like that.

Kim gave a small smile as she finished with her zipper. "I just don't want to rumple the dress too much. Don't worry. I'm decent underneath." As she saw Ron's look of unbelief, she added "Well, reasonably decent, at least. It's not as if I had on more clothes when we were at the beach last summer." Kim pulled her dress over her head and quite accurately threw it over her chair, while Ron stared at the sight in front of him. It was true that he had seen Kim in bikini before, but what she was wearing now compared to a bikini like the Kimmunicator compared to a cell-phone. She had a matching set of black panties and bra, with a cute but not overly frilly lacing, and it did indeed cover a lot of skin, all things considered. But the effect it had on her overall body was astonishing, accentuating a curve just _here_, hinting at a hidden treasure just _there_ and of course, the swelling of her breasts that could be seen. Combine that with Kim's perfectly honed body that was in excellent shape, and Ron realised that he was looking at a sight that could compete with anybody's idea of Heaven.

Kim looked at Ron as he was taking in the beauty that was just in front of him and gave a satisfied smile. She bent forward and laid herself half covering him, and started kissing him again. One leg, draped over Ron's groin, was feeling a pressure that was soon becoming familiar to her. Ron answered the kiss and he wrapped his arms around Kim again. At first, he only lightly stroked her back, but when he noticed that she actually sought these caresses, his hands started to make full contact with her skin again. Ron's hand ran over Kim's spine, causing her to shiver with anticipation while his other hand gently caressed her cheek. After what seemed a blissful eternity, Ron broke the kiss and gently kissed Kim in the neck. Slowly, his kisses ran down Kim's neck until he reached her shoulders, where he gave her a passionate, long-lasting kiss. Kim moaned silently while she laid her hand on his hand, keeping him pressed close to her, completely worry-free about the hickey that would soon be left on her shoulder.

When Ron finally broke the kiss, he looked at Kim with so much tenderness in his eyes, Kim felt so happy it nearly started her crying. She pulled Ron's face closer and gave him a playful bite on the tip of his nose while running her finger through his hair. She turned Ron's head a little sideways and lightly licked his cheek, and let her tongue run along his cheek until she reached his ear. She softly blew in his ear, causing Ron to feel a slight shudder running through his body, and then lightly nibbled his ear-lobe while her fingers circled playfully around his other ear. With one of his hands still lying on Kim's shoulders, his other hand was now softly stroking her neck. Slowly, that hand started to explore more of Kim's body, running past her chest and her side. Part of Ron expected that Kim would take away his hand, putting it back on a more appropriate place, but that moment never came, and his hands continued downward, softly following the curves of Kim's body until they came at a rest on Kim's thighs. Kim chose that moment to stop playing with Ron's ears and press another kiss on him. She pulled his head close while Ron tightened his hold on her shoulder and thigh, slowly stroking the skin under his hands. Kim softly moaned again and closed her eyes, fully giving herself to the moment.

While the two of them were locked in embrace like that, Kim's free hand moved towards Ron's chest and started to undo the buttons of his shirt. After the last button was loose, her hand softly stroked the now exposed skin. Her fingertips drew circles over his belly which, despite thousands of Bueno Nacho meals was still surprisingly flat. Ron stiffened slightly as shivers went through his body. The feeling was an odd mix of tickling and excitement, and Ron knew one thing for sure, he didn't want the feeling to stop. Slowly, Kim's hand went higher and reached his chest, where it encountered a fuzzy down of chest hair. Kim finally broke their kiss and lifted herself up, supporting herself on one arm, while her hand kept drawing circles on Ron's chest. She looked at Ron, how he was lying in total surrender before her, and a fond smile rose to her lips. She bent forward and placed a kiss on his chest. While she did so, she heard a sharp inhale of breath by Ron who obviously hadn't expected her to move so decisively. Kim continued placing kisses on Ron's chest, slowly moving around, until she came to his right nipple. She lightly licked it and couldn't help but smile when she saw how it stiffened under the attention. She had heard how men could have sensitive nipples, but this was the first time she saw it for herself. She placed another kiss on Ron's nipple and let her tongue run in circles around it. Ron was lying motionless on his back; his arms along his sides after Kim changed her position, and tried to keep his breathing steady. While Kim continued her exploration of his chest, she was quite convinced she heard Ron's heartbeat go faster, especially when she reached his other nipple and repeated her actions of shortly before.

Finally, Ron seemed to regain control over his arms, and he embraced Kim again, one hand on her shoulder, the other stroking her hair. Kim slowly went higher along Ron's chest, all the while planting kisses or softly licking the exposed skin. When she reached his shoulder, she planted a forceful kiss that would soon leave a hickey to mirror her own before her lips sought Ron's again. Kim was now lying on top of Ron, and his hands started to wander over her back as they had done before, much to Kim's delight. Thanks to Kim's new position, his hands reached her lower back now, and several times, they touched the waist-band of her panties, and each time, quickly slid back up Kim's lower back again. After this had happened a few times, Kim grabbed Ron's right hand and firmly placed it on her bottom, leaving Ron no doubt as to what she expected him to do. While he gently stroked her bottom, Ron's other hand also slid down and softly massaged the warm flesh under the thin fabric of Kim's panties.

While her lips were still firmly pressed on Ron's, Kim softly moaned under the attention of his hands and pressed her hips closer to his. In the meantime, Ron drew deep breaths while trying not to break the kiss. He hardly could believe his luck. Lying on his back, with a half-naked Kim on top of him and his hands exploring wondrous new territory, one thought kept popping up in his head… "Please don't let the Kimmunicator go off!" For the rest, he let himself be guided by instinct and went with the flow of the moment.

Finally, after what maybe the longest kiss they had shared yet that evening, Ron broke the kiss and pulled Kim close to him, one arm around her shoulder, the other still slowly caressing her buttocks. Kim laid her head on the side of his chest, while he hoarsely whispered in her ear "I love you… so much…" Kim smiled and planted another kiss on his chest. "Me too." she replied and slowly traced her finger around his nipple. Shivering slightly Ron's hand caressed her shoulders and followed her spine downwards along her back. This time, when he reached the band of her bra, he didn't skip over it, as he had done before, but he followed it, searching for the clasp that held the piece of clothing in place. Once his fingers had a good grip on the clasp, a little pushing and pulling later… Kim's bra was still as firmly in place as before. Ron gave a little frustrated sigh and tried again… with the same results. When he heard a small snicker he looked at Kim's face and saw a playful smile on her face. Ron started to apologize, but Kim just pressed her forefinger on his lips and sat up. Her hands were behind her back for a short moment, quickly loosening her bra, and for the first time in his life, Ron was looking at Kim's breasts.

For a moment, he just laid on his back, Kim sitting over him, while he enjoyed the sight before him. As Monique had mentioned earlier that day, Kim had been growing in the last few months, and Ron was mesmerised by the sight of two well-rounded, firm, perky breasts. Slowly, he reached out his hands, trembling slightly, until he reached Kim's chest and stroked the soft, warm skin in front of him. Kim arched her back slightly while Ron started to let his fingers run over her breasts and around her nipples, and laid her hands on his belly, stroking it in return. Ron's hands on her chest caused sensations Kim hadn't felt before. His touch was gentle but firm, and when he played with her nipples, she nearly let out a small yelp out of surprised pleasure.

After a while, Ron lowered his hands again, and Kim almost complained his actions, when she saw that he only needed his hands to support himself so he could sit up. Once he was sitting up right, Ron embraced Kim, and the sensation of their bodies' heat, close together, Kim's breasts rubbing against Ron's chest, only heightened the desire both of them were feeling. Ron cupped Kim's head and the two of them lost themselves in a passionate kiss that could rival a Hollywood promotional poster. Slowly, Ron was pushing Kim backward and the two of them started to change position, never breaking their kiss, until Kim was lying on her back, and Ron was lying besides her, supporting her head with one hand, the other slowly running from her shoulders to her breasts. When Ron started to stroke her breasts again, playing with her nipples when he reached them, Kim closed her eyes and let out a passionate sigh, which was muffled by their kiss.

Meanwhile, with one hand was firmly wrapped around his shoulder, Kim's hand had been going down Ron's side and had now reached his belt. She started to undo his belt-buckle, at which she turned out to be better than Ron at opening bra-clasps, and while she pulled Ron's belt out, she couldn't help but giving a small smile when she realised that this time, it was actually her intention for Ron to loose his pants. Undoing the button and zipper of his jeans took a little more determination, but the girl who could do anything soon got what she wanted, and while Ron's heart-rate and breathing sky-rocketed, she used her legs to push Ron's jeans over his legs. For a moment, Ron was happy that he had decided to wear briefs that morning. If he had been wearing boxers, like he had done so often during his high-school years, they would have been unable to hide his excitement, which even now hardly could be contained.

Ron's mouth left Kim's lips and slowly ran past her neck and shoulders until he reached the swelling of her breasts. Softly, he started to kiss the breast closest to him, his mouth circling the warm flesh beneath him. Kim gave a soft moan and laid her hands on his shoulders, to make sure he wouldn't stop. When he came closer to the top of her breast, Ron started to softly lick until he reached her erect nipple. When his lips closed over her nipple, and he slowly suckled it, Kim let out another yelp and pressed Ron's head closer to her. Ron continued suckling her nipple while his free hand was still gently stroking Kim's other breast. After a while, Ron let go of her nipple and started to kiss her breasts again, working his way to the breast that had, until now, only felt the caress of his hands. While his tongue once again came closer to Kim's nipple, his hand stroked her belly and playfully tickled her belly-button. Kim let Ron do as he pleased, she just kept him pressed close to her and enjoyed the feeling as wave after wave of new sensations coursed through her body.

Meanwhile, Ron's mouth had reached her nipple, and he started suckling that one as well. Once again, Kim gave a sigh of pleasure and desire. Emboldened by Kim's reactions, Ron let his hand glide further down Kim's belly and this time, when he reached her panties, he didn't jerk back his hand, but gently let it glide further down over the soft fabric until his hand was resting on her mound, and he softly began to stroke it. Kim's response was to press his face closer to her breast and lift her pelvis a little so Ron's hand had easier access to the greatest of treasures. While he gently continued to stroke Kim, he softly nibbled her nipple. Kim let out another moan and dug her nails in Ron's shoulder, which Ron didn't even seem to notice.

After a while, Kim's hands became restless, and while one hand played with Ron's hair, her other hand started to glide past his spine, sending slight tickles through his body. Kim seemed to be determined to catch up with Ron, because when she reached the waist-band of his briefs, she slipped her hand under the fabric and gave the flesh under it a playful squeeze. For a moment, Ron stopped kissing Kim's breasts and looked her straight in the eyes. He didn't say a word, but his eyes seemed to ask "Are you sure?" Kim's reply didn't leave a thing to the imagination. She pulled his face close to hers and gave him a passionate kiss while she used the hand on his buttocks to pull him closer to her, so her thigh was now pressed against his crotch. Ron got the hint, and continued to stroking Kim like he had done before. He noticed that her panties started to become moist under his fingers, and he wondered how long it would take before one of them would decide to take things a step further.

As Ron already expected, it turned out to be Kim, who finally stopped her exploration of his buttocks and in a quick role-reversal, pushed Ron on his back and straddled him. While she was still kissing him, she pushed her pelvis close to his, so their privates were only kept from each other by two thin layers of fabric. The experience was nearly too much for Ron, as his briefs started to block his circulation more and more. He wondered whether he would be able to stand the pressure for much longer, while Kim slowly started to kiss him on his chest again. Ron didn't really know what to do with his hands, since Kim was now too low for him to reach her buttocks, and her breasts were firmly pressing against his belly, so he just kept them lying by his sides while he waited for Kim to make a new move, or come closer again. Kim, however, just kept pressing kisses on his chest and playfully continued to explore his body with her lips. After a while, she had reached his belly, and by the time she softly licked his belly-button, her breasts were pressed against his groin, sending a new shockwave of desire through him. He nearly pled "Kim… Please!" when Kim lifted herself up a little and took the waist-band of his briefs in her hands and pulled it down ever so slightly. She planted a soft kiss on the patch of fuzzy hairs that was uncovered, and while Ron feared that she would go on teasing him until he burst through his briefs, with one quick movement she pulled his briefs down to his knees.

Finally, Ron's member was freed from its cotton prison and it immediately jumped at attention.

Kim spent a little time looking at, what until that moment; she had only seen in health classes or after an unlucky search hit on the internet. She marvelled at how it seemed alive when it trembled lightly with every heart-beat of Ron's. Slowly, she let her hand glide back upward along Ron's thigh, until she reached the shaft and she softly let her hand glide along it, feeling its warmth and how, at the same time, it was both rigid and soft. When she reached the tip, she felt a drip of sticky liquid between her fingertips and realised what Ron must have been feeling between her legs.

Still slowly stroking the length of Ron's member, she reached for her night-stand and opened the top drawer to pick out the box of condoms she had been keeping there even before Shego's motherly advice.

And as the two of them got under the covers, the last vestiges of the young heroes' childhood became a distant memory.

-- _End of chapter 10_ --

Next: The day(s) after…


	11. Ch11 The Roads Ahead

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion (andarion . deviantart . com) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions and Eoraptor (here on FF net) for beta-reading this chapter and giving me advise (lots of it) to improve my grammar and style.

AN: Okay, that took a while. I hope some of you are still interested in seeing where this story goes, because it certainly didn't end after chapter 10.

Real life demanded too much of my time. Family and promotion at work kept me away from my hobbies for way too long.

But I'm back and new chapters should be posted with a normal regularity again.

Thanks to all of you who sent me feedback and reviews during my absence.

* * *

_Chapter 11 – The roads ahead_

For the tenth time in less than fifteen minutes, Monique put her book down and looked at Kim. The redhead however, seemed to be oblivious of her best friend's curiosity and was sitting at her computer, working on one of her class assignments.

Monique didn't know what to make of this behavior. Since Ron had left earlier that morning, the two of them had barely spoken, and had said nothing at all about the previous night. Still, Monique was pretty sure that everything had gone as planned. Ron had certainly had that goofy grin boys always thought nobody would notice. Kim seemed strangely pre-occupied however.

Finally, Monique snapped her book shut and put it aside. If subtle patience didn't work, it was time for the direct approach. "So, how was _your_ night?"

"Huh, wha…?" Kim turned away from her computer and looked at Monique. "What did you say?"

"I said 'How was your night?'" Monique repeated. "You've hardly spoken a word, and you look as distracted as I've ever seen you. And not in a good way. What happened last night, girlfriend? Please don't tell me I took a naked mole-rat to the movies for nothing."

"Oh…! Oh no… absolutely not!" Kim stammered. "Thanks again for that. It certainly gave us the alone-time I'd been hoping for."

"So what's bothering you then, girl?" Monique probed. "Oh, wait… was it Ron? Was he unable to deliver? The burrito was half-rare?"

Kim's face flushed brightly red as she stammered "Unable to… ah… No, not unable… no…"

"Early burn-out, then?" Monique guessed.

"Well, er… I don't think so…" Kim hesitated for a moment and then continued "I've got nothing to compare it with but, ah… three times about fifteen minutes each… That's kinda okay, right?"

"_Damn_, girl! You lucky." Monique said with a hint of envy in her voice. "Ron certainly delivered for a first time. So what's up with you then? Why did you withdraw behind your PC? You should have been walking on clouds when I came in. Instead you look like you're trying to remember where you parked your ride last year."

Kim got up from her chair and started to pace around the room. "It's… God, I don't even know what it is! It's just… I've got this feeling…"

She sighed and slumped on her bed. She looked Monique straight in the eyes and after a moment nearly pleaded "It's just… after everything that led up to it… you know… I can't help but wonder… That's it?"

Monique was taken aback and looked at her friend confusedly. "Huh?"

"That's it?" Kim repeated "That's all there is to it? The great treasure lauded by poets and singers? The reason why people get themselves in trouble? The number one cause of divorce? That's all there is to it?"

For a few moments, Monique didn't know what to say. Finally, she asked "So, ah... you didn't... er... like it?"

Kim sighed and blushed a little. For a moment, she wasn't really sure that she wanted to continue the conversation; in part because it was a pretty personal subject, and in part because it made her feel that something might be wrong with her. She took a deep breath and decided to be honest with Monique. After all, if she couldn't share her feelings with her best friend, with whom could she?

"Well, I certainly liked the beginning." Kim answered. "The close contact, the excitement of discovering new feelings, knowing that Ron only had eye for me. That felt... well... great!"

While her thoughts ran over that part of the previous evening, she gave a mischievous grin and added "And it was fun to see how Ron was fighting to keep his desires in check."

Monique chuckled conspiratorially "You tease."

Kim gave another grin and continued "But when it came down to, er... the main event... it was… well.... Meh."

"Meh." Monique parroted.

"Yeah. I can't help it. That's how it felt." Kim said defensively. "I mean... I know that the media gives an exaggerated image, so I really didn't expect fireworks and a tidal wave of emotion. But it was, well... almost a disappointment."

Monique gently nodded her head. "So, you too huh?"

"Wha..." Kim stammered. "You mean that you ..."

"Oh no... not me." her friend assured her. "Well, not usually, at least. But I've heard the same remark from other girls a few times already."

"When?" Kim wondered aloud.

"Well, I've got a lot more female class-mates than you do, Kim. And we've got to have something to talk about during lunch. Or during breaks, or in the bar, or the gym, or... well you get the idea. Don't take this the wrong way GF, but I do have more of a social life than you do."

"Yeah, I guess that's true." The young heroine admitted. "And, uh... you _do_ have an idea why those friends of yours had the same… experience?"

"Ah, that's where a girl's best friend comes in play." Monique said with a smile.

Kim started to blush. "What! You don't mean a…"

"No, not _that_. I meant Cosmo! The life-style pages and letter-columns are full with these kinds of situations, girl." Monique laughed and shook her head.

Kim gave a small sigh of relief. "So, what does Cosmo have to say about this?"

"Well, from what I hear, the problem is with the boys. As always. They need directions but are too stubborn to ask them."

Kim couldn't help but smile at the mental image that evoked. "You mean 'Left, right! Up, no down!' those kinds of directions?"

"Well, maybe a li'l more subtle than that." Monique grinned while tapping her fingers on her book. "You know, like gently leading him away from thinsg that aren't so fun and guide him to the things that really get you going. And guide him back there if needed. 'Course that means you'll have to learn what you like and don't like… _and_ about what Ron likes as well."

"That's a lot of work for something that should come natural, don't you think" Kim muttered, sounding a little doubtful.

"Oh, having sex isn't difficult." Monique quipped. "But we're talking about having _good_ sex. And in that case, the old saying holds true: 'Practice, practice, practice.'"

"So, did you ever need to 'give directions' to a guy?"

"Oh, yeah!" Monique said emphatically. "It didn't last, though. He never got the hint."

"Did I know him?" Kim asked curiously.

And with that remark, their talk shifted to the love-lives of other people, leaving Kim to wonder how, and when, she could "Practice, practice, practice."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dr. Director was looking at the monitor which gave her a feed of the camera in the training room. The sparring match she was looking at was certainly impressive. If she hadn't known from the start that it was just a sparring match, she'd have had her men pull the two opponents apart quite a while ago.

'_Too bad most of my agents aren't as good as those two are'_ she thought with a hint of regret. Still, having only a few good agents was better than having none.

She wondered how she had allowed this to happen. Every step that had let up to this fight had been a logical progression from of an earlier step, and it had all looked so rational at the time. But now, as she looked at the final result, she was sure that her past self would have declared her crazy for letting this happen. Yet, she couldn't stop looking with fascination at Kim and Shego, who had cleared out the training room with their highly energetic sparring match.

For three weeks now, Kim and Shego had used the training room for their sparring matches; and every week the competition had become fiercer, as if they were testing the boundaries of how far they could go, both with each other and with Dr. Director. It had certainly be interesting to see how their Tai Chi sessions had developed in martial arts katas, and those katas had finally turned into the physical exercises Betty had been expecting ever since Shego had brought up her desire to use the training facilities. Still, she didn't use her plasma, and that was one line she certainly wouldn't cross. That much, Dr. Director was certain of.

She winced for a moment when she saw Kim go down after a perfectly executed leg-swipe by Shego. She had seen both Shego and Kim using that same move often before, but usually, the other was attentive enough to avoid the attack. While Shego pulled Kim back on her feet, Dr. Director mused that Kim had probably been distracted by something. Her money was on a remark by Shego, which was apparently the only weak point Kim seemed to have in her fighting.

Though at first she had been highly against the idea of Shego actually practicing her martial arts with a living partner, Dr. Director had to admit that it had presented her with a unique opportunity.

Good footage of Kim's fights with Shego was surprisingly rare; in part because Shego usually took care of security cameras at the beginning of her jobs, and for the rest because the typical low-quality stop-motion recording of security cameras was insufficient to capture the split-second actions of both women. Ironically, the best footage of a fight between the two she had seen before had been security footage in the Bueno Nacho headquarters when Dr. Drakken had launched his Li'l Diabolo plan. That fight certainly had been impressive, but at the time, Dr. Director had attributed most of Kim's skills to her battle-suit. But looking at the match on the monitor before her showed her that while the suit had provided Kim with some interesting gizmos, the quality of the fight itself had always been pure Kim.

'_What an agent she would make_.' Dr. Director mused, not for the first time.

Meanwhile, on the monitor Kim and Shego were continuing their highly energetic dance. Suddenly, Betty saw Kim make a series of jumps and sidesteps that ended with her getting behind Shego. Shego spun around on one foot and Dr. Director expected to see the former thief go down, but Kim didn't strike from her advantageous position. She looked with surprise as Shego broke of her defensive pose. Both women spoke for a moment, with Kim gesticulating emphatically. After a moment, both of them walked back to opposite positions of the floor, taking their starting positions again.

Dr. Director could hardly believe it, somehow, one of them had scored a point against the other and she had missed it. She wrote down the time-marker that was being displayed on the screen and decided to analyze the footage of that exchange later in the evening. Frame-by-frame if needed.

She shook her head and walked back to her desk. She liked to believe that Shego's stay at GJ was just a footnote in her overly full agenda, but somehow that footnote had a tendency of jumping to the forefront with frustrating regularity. She sighed and picked up the file she'd been keeping ever since that fateful day in September when Kim had called to tell her that she had a surprise for GJ.

Kim's latest proposal lay on the top of the stack of papers. Her eyes ran over the text without really reading it. She already knew what it said; after all she had read it several times before. It was so typically _Kim_: optimistic, almost naively so and at the same time surprisingly clinical, even cynic. She pinched the bridge of her nose and let her eyes be drawn to the fight on the surveillance monitor again. Finally, she pressed a button on her intercom.

"Yes, Madam Director?" her secretary asked.

"Please send for Sgt. Myles." Betty said. "Tell him I'd like to talk with Miss Possible when her visit's over."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were ancient nemeses. Grown wise and patient thanks to the experience of years of fighting each other, the two opponents were carefully circling an invisible spot with about a meter between them as if they were dancing to music only they could hear. From time to time, one of them would feint a move, carefully assessing the other's defensive reaction, looking for an opening.

Suddenly, the raven-haired woman lashed out with a quick series of alternating blows and kicks trying to connect with her opponent's torso. Her opponent however, was equally swift and managed to block each attack and quickly stepped out of reach after she blocked the last kick her attacker could work out of that particular series. She flashed a victorious grin towards her opponent and establishing a new defensive position, waiting for the dark-haired woman to come within reach again.

"Impressive." Shego complimented. "It looks like even _you_ might finally learn something new."

"You're not so bad yourself." Kim retorted. "Who knows? With time and practice, you might even turn out to be dangerous."

The quick flash of chagrin on Shego's face had been the opening Kim had been waiting for and she launched a perfect repetition of the series of blows Shego had just used against her. The younger female nearly broke through Shego's defenses, and the last parries by the green-skinned woman required all her strength and wits.

Shego quickly stepped out of range of Kim's arms and legs, alert for a follow-up attack. "Most impressive."

Kim gave a short laugh. "The Vader act won't help you this time, Sheeg. You won't get me another time!"

"Is that what you tell the buffoon as well?" Shego asked.

"_Wha_…?" It took less than a second, but for that short instant Kim stood unmoving, surprised by Shego's retort.

It was all the opening the former thief needed as she crouched and swiftly kicked Kim's feet away from under her. Kim landed flat on her back, letting out a heavy woosh of air.

"No fair!" the red-head complained while Shego walked over. Shego took Kim's hand and pulled her on her feet.

"Fair or not wouldn't have been relevant if this had been a real fight, Kimmie" She said clinically.

The young women walked back to their respective positions on the training mat while Shego continued "When you're fighting hand-to-hand, you use everything that's at your disposal: the environment, your strengths, your opponent's strengths, _and_ their weaknesses. Pre-battle intimidation is a time-honored tradition."

"Well, don't expect me to play _Braveheart_ and lift my skirts and moon my enemies, if that's what you're hinting at." Kim muttered.

"Don't worry; you'd look terrible in plaid." Shego countered. "…though you didn't leave a lot to the imagination when you were jumping around in that cheerleader outfit of yours."

"Hey, I made your life pretty miserable 'jumping around' like that." Kim observed while they slowly started moving towards each other again.

"_Hah_!" her opponent snorted. "You managed to stay out of reach, but that was about all. You only started to become problematic when you started to brush up on your martial arts. Those exercises of yours might have been useful to distract the hormone-driven adolescent boys of the opposing team, but they'll never come close to being to a serious threat against a well-trained martial artist."

"Oh really?" Kim asked, and suddenly the former cheerleader was a blur of motion, making a series of jumps, cartwheels and back-flips that came close the fighting style she had used during her first confrontations with Shego.

The green-skinned woman was hardly able to follow Kim's movements, constantly needing to change position to be able to block Kim's imminent attack. Despite Shego's best efforts Kim managed to move past the older woman, and in the middle of a back-flip quickly tapped her on the base of her skull. Kim stopped jumping around and firmly declared "Point!" while Shego was turning around her axis.

Shego dropped her defenses when she saw that Kim wasn't standing ready to attack her.

"That was never a point." She protested. "You just managed to get behind me and didn't even use your advantage. Probably because you overshot and weren't even within striking distance."

"I hit you on your neck, didn't I?" Kim countered.

"That brush? If that was a point, you could just as well blow at me and claim that you won the battle."

Kim held up her flat hand with her fingers tightly pressed to each other. "Of course I didn't hit you full force." She huffed. "If I had locked my arm and put all my strength behind it, you'd be lying on the ground wondering why your limbs didn't react any more. Nerve-centers, remember? Not all victories come from brute strength."

Shego considered that claim and finally shrugged. "Whatever you say, Miss Crouching Tiger,"

"It's still two to one, and you'll never be able to score two additional points before you're lying flat on that mat again." She returned to her starting point casually.

Grinning, Kim took her position on the other side of the mat and braced herself in a defensive position, while making a taunting "bring it on" movement with her hand.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kim was patiently sitting in the chair in front of Dr. Director's desk while her host was replaying some of the highlights of the sparring match of earlier that day. It was a little disconcerting to see herself and Shego like this, but she had to admit that the camera in the training room had provided good footage.

Dr. Director froze the image yet again in the middle of one of Kim's attacks. "This was another impressive one." The one-eyed woman said appreciatively. "On a normal opponent, it would leave some serious bruises… and that's a best case scenario."

"Shego's no normal opponent." Kim said blandly. "I knew she'd be able to block it, and I really wanted to try it with a live opponent just once."

"You had never used it before?" Dr. Director asked with surprise.

"Only against a training dummy, and they are notoriously unresponsive."

"Not even against your sensei, or personal coach, whoever it is who's teaching you things like these?" Dr. Director probed.

She had always been curious who had been, and probably still was, Kim's teacher. There weren't a lot of competent trainers who were up to Kim's level in the region of Middleton, and she knew all of them. However, none of them had ever bragged about training the highly talented heroine.

"The opportunity never presented itself" Kim replied evasively.

"Would you mind if we used this footage in the training of our field-agents?"

Kim shrugged. "Be my guest." she said. "But don't forget to ask Shego as well. There are two people in that video."

Dr. Director nodded slightly and finally turned off the monitor. She turned to face Kim and leaned a little back in her chair, tapping her hand with the remote. "So… How would you assess Shego's current state; both mentally and physically?"

"Physically she's as fit as she's ever been." Kim began, "Possibly a little more focused - because she must keep her powers under control. Mentally… that's a little more difficult to say. I don't think we can compare her behavior from before her pregnancy with her current state of mind. She is in a stable situation now, though. This is the person she wants to be, and she's making every effort possible to reach her goal. I think we can safely say that Shego the unrepentant mercenary has committed her last crime."

"And you're not just saying so because you want to be able to claim that you were the one who tamed her?" Dr. Director queried.

Kim gave a cold look. "I _do_ have a sense of priorities Madam Director. I have been risking my life and that of my best friend for years to save as many people as I can. Do you really think I would even _consider_ consciously putting innocent people at risk? Everything I've learned about people, both good and evil, _and_ my experience with Shego in the last half year tells me we can trust her. If she has played me for a fool, and you as well for that matter, she's probably the best actress I've ever encountered."

"I didn't want to insult you, Kim" Betty began in a calm voice. "But I'm standing before a difficult choice here. If I green-light your latest plan, we must be _really_ certain of what we're doing."

She gave a short sigh. "It would be so much easier if we could just lock her up in an ordinary prison."

"But you can't" Kim said levelly "As I pointed out to you."

Dr. Director sighed "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. I had our legal devision check all precedents and they couldn't find fault in your reasoning. She can only go to prison if she's convicted of a crime. She can only be convicted if she's tried in a court of law. She didn't commit any _real_ crimes, crimes for which she would go to prison, in the months after the UN ceremony so her trial should be based on the crimes she committed _before_ that time. Crimes for which she _apparently_ received a highly publicized pardon. She didn't actually get a pardon, so legally we would still have an iron-clad case. But the public opinion could turn ugly and there's no way we would be able to keep the trial behind closed doors. The press would have a field-day if they ever found out about that blunder with the pardons for Drakken and her. And the last thing GJ or any other law-enforcement agency for that matter, needs is more bad press."

She drummed her fingers on her desk for a moment and continued, "Are you sure about your plan? They would really have no problem with giving Shego access to their property?"

"They said they owed me a favor." Kim replied smoothly,"I told them it was no big but hey, if it can help Shego, why not make use of it?"

Dr. Director nodded and took the documents from Shego's file. She put them back and closed the binder. "Okay. Do it."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shego was patiently sitting in the chair in front of Dr. Director's desk while her host was replaying some of the highlights of the sparring matches of the previous weeks. It was a little disconcerting to see herself and Kim like this, but she had to admit that the camera in the training room had provided good footage.

"So, what's the meaning of this little demonstration?" Shego asked bluntly. "Is this the set-up for a '_I know who you are and what you're up to'_ speech?"

Shego had been feeling annoyed for a few days already and it started to show. Kim hadn't been able to visit her the previous week, and since it was already Friday morning, she realized that the same would be true this week. She knew that her friend had other priorities as well, but she couldn't help but feel a little neglected.

Dr. Director gave a little sigh, once again wondering whether it had been a good idea to agree with Kim's plan. "No, it's more a '_where do we go from here'_ discussion" she said. "You see, your stay here is becoming more and more divergent from our original agreement. The footage we just watched is but one of those changes."

Shego balled her fists and tried to control her anger. "Well excuse me, _Madam_ Director - it's not like I planned for things to go this way."

"I know that." Betty replied calmly "And please don't think I'm blaming you for anything that has happened. However, you're not the only person I have to deal with in this situation. I have to report to some fairly important heads of state, or at least their offices; and they're the ones that are snapping at my heels."

"What do you mean?" Shego asked, actually interested in what Dr. Director had to say. She unclenched her fists and breathed slowly, trying to regain her composure. If the government was out to make her life difficult again, she surely needed to know about it.

Dr. Director sighed and folded her hands, leaning forward in her chair. "Listen, when we brokered that deal last autumn, it was based on a certain physical condition of yours. Now you certainly held up your end of the bargain. You provided us with valuable information that allowed us to capture several dangerous criminals, we have full access to all surrendered accounts and you have behaved yourself as a model prisoner. Our problem is your parole."

Shego half jumped up from her chair in surprise. "Parole?! What parole? That wasn't part of the deal!"

"No, it wasn't" Dr. Director agreed. "But what was part of the deal was a GJ-supervised house arrest until your baby would turn two. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

"Yes." Shego said darkly. "No baby, no house-arrest."

Dr. Director nodded. "When I sold this deal to my colleagues, I made it clear that your house-arrest would also serve as an informal period of parole. They agreed that being under GJ's supervision and having strong ties with civilian life would be at least as effective as serving an official parole."

"And now they think I might just pack up and leave." Shego guessed.

"Indeed. So Kim and I have been trying to broker a new deal which does include a parole that all parties feel is acceptable." Betty pinched the bridge of her nose and lightly shook her head.

"Let's just say that in some cases it took a lot of fast talking and prominently flaunting Kim's track record and that of GJ as well. You've managed to piss off a lot of people in less than a decade, you know."

Shego gave a small shrug. "It's a gift."

"Anyway, most points are agreed on. But one serious issue remains; your cooperation."

"So, this is the part where you start listing the conditions of my parole?" Shego asked.

Betty shook her head. "Not yet. Kim convinced me that first, you should actually see and experience what you'd be agreeing on. And that brings us to today's mission."

"Mission?" Shego asked with surprise.

"Well, for lack of another word." Dr. Director shrugged "Kim arranged it for you, of course. She knows the owners of a private property whose security measures need to be assessed. She thought you might like to go outside for a while, so she suggested that you'd use your… ah … unique experience to do the job."

"Outside." Shego said with a wistful smile. "Fresh air. No walls. Where do I sign up?"

The one-eyed woman held up one hand to admonish Shego to have a little patience while she picked something out of a drawer in her desk and laid it in front of Shego. "And you'll be wearing these."

Shego picked up one of the pair of objects and looked at it. They looked like ordinary wrist-bands, but were smaller and thinner than the cuffs she had been expecting. There was also no attachment place for chains. The only thing Shego could make out was a hinge-and-lock mechanism. That, and the wristbands looked decidedly technical. Obviously they were not meant to physically restrain the wearer. "What are they?"

"Neural inhibitors." Dr. Director explained. "Reverse-engineered from the technology we secured from the wreckage of the alien ship. These should prevent you from using your powers."

Shego put down the wristband and swallowed. The idea that GJ could have the technology to incapacitate her powers was unsettling. "Candor compels me to tell you that I had little problems busting out of Warmonga's binders."

"We already know that from Miss Possible's debriefing about that incident." Dr. Director replied. "These inhibitors are a little more specific though. They are attuned to the meteor powers you and your brothers generate. The locks are keyed to finger prints, so your other talents won't be able to open them either. We've been testing them for the last month or so, and are very satisfied with the result."

"How can you have tested them if this is the first time I've even…" Shego broke of her question when realization hit her. "Team Go! You've been testing those blasted things on Team Go!?"

"Your brothers have been most accommodating, indeed." Betty confirmed. "Hego was incapable of breaking them, and Mego couldn't even shrink an inch. We are quite confident in their ability to restrain you as well."

Shego sighed as she picked up the band again and looked at Dr. Director "And this whole trip will be cancelled unless I dress for the occasion, right?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shego was sitting in the back of a minivan, flanked by two GJ agents. The windows were obscured and the ride had taken more than an hour already. Moving without any points of reference started to drive her crazy. She hated being kept in the dark like that, so she turned to the GJ agent on her right. "Do you happen to know where we're going to, Sergeant Myles?"

"I'm sorry Miss Shego, but I'm not allowed to disclose that information to you." The agent replied politely.

"Could you at least tell me how long it will take before we get there?" Shego nearly pleaded.

The sergeant gave her a sympathetic look. Shego was glad that he was part of the mission. For a GJ agent he was actually a decent person, and contrary to her two other regular guards, he treated her with respect. If she had gotten to know him under different circumstances, she might have learned to really like him.

"I'm not 100 percent sure," he told her "But my guess would be less than half an hour. It depends a little on traffic, I'd say."

"Thanks." Shego said softly.

It was actually about fifteen minutes when the minivan came to a halt and the two GJ agents escorted her outside. When she saw the mansion they had stopped she let out an impressed whistle. "Nice digs. Who lives here?"

"You'll probably be briefed on that later, Miss Shego" Sgt. Myles replied. "If you'll follow me, your contact person will be awaiting you on the back of the building."

They walked around the building. For a moment Shego wondered why they wouldn't just use the front door, but then she realized that circumventing the security of those doors would probably be part of her "expert assessment" and gave a small grin at the anticipation of performing an officially sanctioned burglary.

The agents led her to a terrace where Shego was welcomed by a small table set for two, and the back of a chair. The two agents stood at attention by her side and threw a salute. "The prisoner is here. We will now take our positions inside the building as agreed."

The occupant of the chair didn't say a word, but only gave a small dismissive gesture. The agents went inside and closed the verandah-doors while Shego wondered who her mysterious host could be. Whoever it was, he certainly had a flair for dramatics. Probably a little too much so.

Finally, the chair turned around its axis, revealing its occupant. "Well, you took your sweet time getting here." Kim said with a smile.

"Happy birthday Shego."

_-- End of chapter 11 --_

Next… A birthday, doy!


	12. Ch12 Happy Birthday

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion (andarion . deviantart . com) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions and Eoraptor (here on FFN) for beta-reading this chapter and giving me advise (lots of it) to improve my grammar and style.

AN: I can hardly believe it. This story has already reached 50,000 words, author's notes not included. And based on what is still brewing in my mind, we're not at the end yet. I'll try to get the posting rate up a little more, so we might reach the last chapter by the end of this decade. :D

Thanks to all of you for your reviews and favorites on the previous chapter.

* * *

_Chapter 12 – Happy Birthday_

Shego was standing dumbfounded after Kim's casual remark. Her birthday? She hadn't celebrated that damn day since she had left Team Go. She had hardly even realized that today, she'd turned 25 years old.

"How the hell did you know…" But the answer hit her as she was asking her question. "Team Go, of course. I should have known!"

"Actually," Kim explained, "it was in your file at GJ. But it's quite possible that your brothers provided that little bit of info."

"So that's what this whole charade is about?" Shego demanded "My damn birthday!?"

"Charade?" Kim wondered.

"Dr. Director's speech; the trip over here; the job waiting for me. That charade." Shego said with more than just a hint of anger.

"You mean your parole? But that's all real. The only thing I did was convince Dr. Director to move ahead your first trip outside so you could be here today... and… okay, maybe the job you had to do here was a little fib, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise for you. Don't you like it?"

Kim looked at Shego with trembling lips, looking as though she had just made an unforgivable social misstep. It wasn't her puppy dog pout, but it was nearly as devastating.

Unable to stay angry with her friend while she was looking so pathetic, Shego sighed and shook her head. "No, it's not bad. It's just... I haven't done the whole birthday thing for ages. Even before I left Team Go, they were awkward occasions. And as for my thieving days... you know what Drakken was like around Christmas. God forbid if he would have found out my birthday."

She gave a small sigh. "But maybe, just maybe, it's time for me to leave that behind me as well."

Kim's smile returned and she gave a happy squeal. "So you're okay with me giving you a present!?"

The older woman gave an indulgent smile. It was moments like these that she realized how rarely Kim actually behaved like the young adult she was. "Yes Kimmie... you can give me your present."

Kim stretched her hands theatrically "Ta-daah!"

"You're giving me this mansion?!" Shego exclaimed exageratedly "Oh Kimmie, you shouldn't have!"

"No silly." Kim chuckled. "This. Being outside. A day without cameras watching you, no Dr. Director breathing down your neck. And some fresh air."

Kim looked out over the lawn, a little disappointed with the light rain that was falling at the moment. "Maybe a little too fresh."

Shego waved Kim's remark aside. "Don't worry, a little rain never hurt me. At least I'm outside! So, you mean we can make a stroll? Away from those goons?"

Kim got up from her chair. "Of course we can! That was the whole idea. I don't mind a little rain either."

"You won't be needing those, though." Kim added as she walked over to her guest and pressed her thumbs against the electronic bands. Both neural inhibitors fell to the table.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Dr. Director seemed pretty opposed to the idea of having me walk around footloose and fancy-free."

"You're here under my responsibility now. You're not going to shame my trust in you, are you?"

Kim added a particularly exaggerated version of her puppy dog pout to reinforce her point. Shego couldn't help but laugh at the comical pose the young heroine was making.

"Besides, even you would have some difficulty getting through these gates." The redhead stated as she led Shego to the gates surrounding the compound.

When they reached them, Shego couldn't help but let out a surprised "Wow!" The two and a half meter high fence consisted of a double row of arm-thick steel bars with inward pointing spikes. Kim was right, even with her comet powers, Shego would need some time to get over, or through these gates.

"What the hell do they keep in this compound that needs such protection? Some kind of genetically engineered GJ attack dogs?"

"No. This is a private property and it's the owners' pets, or rather co-stars, that normally walk around here." The teenager explained.

"Co-stars?" Shego wondered "What kind of co-stars need zoo-grade steel fences?"

"Tigers - Siberian tigers. Five of them if I'm not mistaken."

"Tigers!?" Shego exclaimed "Who the hell works with…. Siegfried and Roy?! We're on the estate of Siegfried and Roy?!"

Kim nodded, smiling at the surprise evident in Shego's voice. Apparently, the otherwise blasé thief could still be shocked. "Well, they did owe me a favor, and I needed someplace outside with a strong fence. It was like a match made in heaven."

"But what could you have done for two people who work with lions and tigers?" Shego muttered questioningly.

"Ah… you don't want to know, Shego. Believe me… you don't want to know."

"Kim. I'm a former thief who has worked with some of the craziest megalomaniacs you've confronted. I _think_ I'm old and experienced enough to decide for myself what I do or don't want to know."

Kim shrugged "Oh well. If you really want to know. Do you know what cat-girls are?"

"Yeah, they're some kind of internet-thing, aren't they?" Shego mused "Some kind of hybrid humans that some find cute."

"Indeed." Kim confirmed, "And when we talk cute and hybrid, we talk DNAmy. Only Amy wasn't looking for cat-girls. What she had in mind was decidedly more masculine, mature and shall we say … virile. Cat-dudes, in other words."

Shego shuddered and closed her eyes tightly. "Kim."

"Yes, Shego?"

"You were right, I didn't want to know."

Kim gave a smug '_I told you so'_ grin and continued. "Anyway, long story short: Ron and I captured Amy and convinced her to undo her work. Siegfried and Roy owed me a favor and Amy went to jail for theft, smuggling of protected animals and … get this… interference with a UNESCO-sponsored breeding program."

"You're not serious!" Shego laughed.

"Dead serious. Apparently, those big kitties will have some fun days ahead when they retire."

"Damn." Shego said. "What's the world coming to when some walking fur-coats see more action than I do?"

"Oh well, you could always ask Amy to help you with a new boy-toy." Kim smirked.

"Bite your tongue, missy!"

"Or maybe ask Junior."

"Okay, that's it!" Shego threatened. "One more word and GJ supervision or not, I'll kick your skinny ass!"

"Shego and Junior, sitting in a tree. K – I – S – S …"

With a frustrated cry, Shego took a swipe at her tormentor, but the teen had been expecting it and easily blocked the incoming arm.

"What's the matter, Shego?" she taunted. "You want to dance?"

"You think you can take me?"

"Anytime, anyplace, anyway." Kim countered confidently. "You'll have to turn off the glow, though."

Shego looked up at her blocked arm and to her own surprise saw a glowing nimbus of green energy around her balled fist.

"Damn. Sorry Kim." She said while the glow around her arms dissipated. "I didn't even think abou – Whoah!"

Kim had already used the green woman's lapse in attention to kick the feet from under her. "Don't worry about it." She said casually while extending an arm to help Shego get back up. "By the way; that's one to zero!"

"Oh great!" Shego muttered. "Grass-stains. Do you have _any_ idea how difficult those are to get out?"

"Somehow, I find it difficult to believe that you're not wearing working clothes." Kim dismissed. "You'd have expected them to get dirty."

"Well, doy! But that doesn't mean I have to like it! You're _so_ gonna pay for this"

"Ooh, I'm quivering with fear." Kim mocked, "Just don't think I'm gonna go easy on you because it's your birthday."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Shego said as she moved closer towards Kim. "By the way, Kimmie… Heads up!"

A shower of dirt and grass shot up from where Shego had kicked it and sprayed towards Kim who automatically raised her arms to protect her face. Shego immediately jumped forward and with a flying tackle, she threw her opponent to the ground.

While Kim lay on her back, gasping for air, Shego pinned the young heroine to the ground and smirked "And now it's a tie."

"That was a dirty trick." Kim protested while she tried to wrest loose from the stronger woman's iron grip.

"Of course it was." Shego admitted. "Always expect your opponents to fight dirtier than you do. Especially when you're a goody two-shoes like you are."

"Fight dirty huh? Okay, if that's how you wanna play it..."

Kim braced her feet and pushed her body upward, slamming her abdomen against that of the woman above her. It knocked the breath out of both of them, but Kim had been able to prepare for the impact and was less disoriented than Shego, giving her the chance to use her right leg and lift Shego in the air.

The green woman was flipped on her back while Kim jumped in a crouch. "Dirty enough for ya?"

"Maybe a little too dirty." Shego wheezed while she too stood up. "I'm surprised you never used that one before."

"Well, it's actually meant as a self-defense move against guys." Kim explained. "But even without the blinding pain in a sensitive spot, it works well as a distraction."

"This is promising to become an interesting afternoon…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The two young women were keeping a weary distance. Both of them were stained with grass and dirt, their hair was in disarray, and their clothes were clinging with perspiration and the drizzling rain.

Their energetic stances from more than an hour earlier had gone, and both of them breathed heavily. Finally Shego looked at her opponent and sighed "How about if we call it a draw?"

Kim nodded in agreement. "A draw sounds good to me."

Shego dropped her guard and ran a hand through her hair to remove some tangles from it. "Good fight though."

"It's been a while I've been tested like this." Kim agreed.

"I must say, I'm a little surprised at your choice for a birthday party though. What's next? Wrestling one of the tigers?"

Kim laughed. "No. Those poor things wouldn't stand a chance against you. But funny you should bring them up. How does a private show sound?"

"You are _not_ serious!"

"Hey, this _is_ their place. They kinda insisted on doing a show for me, and since I never got around seeing them in Vegas… well, they thought this would be a good opportunity."

"But, I can't go inside looking like this!" Shego exclaimed "And neither can you, for that matter."

"That's already been taken care of." Kim reassured her. "There are showers in the guest quarters, and I took the liberty of getting some spare clothes for you. Nothing fancy though."

"Spare clothes? How the heck did you know what to buy?"

"Oh, it was no big. I do know your size, after all." Kim shrugged. "So, hot shower?"

"As you would say, please and thank you."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shego was toweling her hair while she looked at the choice of clothes in front of her. Kim had left her two sets of clothes. One set was decidedly informal. Comfortable loose pants and a tee-shirt not unlike what she wore on most of her days in her quarters back at GJ. The other option was noticeably more upscale. She picked up the dark green dress and held it to her body while checking her reflection in the mirror.

She could hardly remember the last time she had worn a dress. The ceremony at the UN, wasn't it? Had that really been nearly a year ago already? Her baby should have been born by now if everything had gone okay, and she wouldn't be in the awkward position of being at Dr. Director's mercy.

She put aside the dress and looked at her reflection. The months of training certainly had rebuilt her lean frame, but on her lower abdomen, a barely faded scar stood as a grim reminder of lost opportunities. Tears welled up in her eye as she stared at the accursed piece of skin.

She angrily shook her head and wiped the tears away. She couldn't let herself be caught by grief like this. Not today, not while Kimmie was trying everything she could to give her a normal day.

Well, maybe not really _normal_. Judging by the formal dress she had selected, Kim clearly had something special planned and hoped Shego would dress for the occasion. She had to admit, a private show by one of the country's leading live acts certainly promised to make this a day to remember.

She gave a small smile when she realized that she had already decided on what to wear. Kim had subtly suggested formal, so formal it would be.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kim was waiting outside of Shego's bathroom wearing a dark blue dress. When Shego finally emerged, she gave a small smile when she saw that Shego had decided on the dress as well.

"So, you ready for the next installment of today's entertainment?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Shego confirmed.

They walked to a great hall in the center of the mansion. Shego could see the hall had a center stage that seemed fairly permanent. Apparently, this wasn't the first time that a private show had been performed here. There even were several low tables with very comfortable looking half-circular couches. They reminded Shego of one of her favorite bars, or indeed the higher class seats in a Vegas show.

Kim led her guest to a table that had already been set, and once Shego was sitting, she got another surprise.

A small pinkish rodent with a black bow-tie was holding a card. "Menu?" Rufus squeaked while he offered it to Shego.

"Is the buffoon here as well?" she inquired.

"Don't call him a buffoon. His name is Ron." Kim protested automatically. "But yes, he's here, preparing a few little snacks to go with the show. He didn't really know what you'd like, so he drafted a few suggestions."

The older woman looked at the list and hummed her appreciation. "That's a nice selection. And those cocktails, can he mix them all?"

"As far as I understand, he should be able to." Kim confirmed.

Shego spent a few moments deciding. They wrote down the order and handed the note to Rufus who gave a bow and then hurried away to the kitchen to bring Ron the order.

Shego gave a small smile at Rufus' antics and turned over to Kim. "You know, that little rat is surprisingly clever. It was one of Drakken's failings that he never understood exactly how clever and how much he understands of everything you guys tell him. Though I'll never understand why anybody would even consider of turning one of them in a pet."

"I don't think Ron even considers him as a pet any more. They are more like two close friends than master and pet." Kim nodded. "But you're right that he's extremely clever, a little too clever to my liking at times."

"Must be awkward when you want to have a private moment with your boyfriend." Shego grinned.

"Oh, don't get me started!"

"You've dealt with that problem before, I take it?"

"Oh, yeah. But it gets more and more difficult every time I want him to be somewhere else."

"Well, you do have different dorms, don't you?" Shego asked. "I guess the solution kind of proposes itself."

"You'd think so, but dumping a naked mole-rat with your room-mate gets kinda obvious after a while."

"I can imagine." Shego chuckled. "In that case, I'm afraid I'm out of suggestions that don't include shutting the little guy in a box."

"Yeah, that one is definitely out of the question." Kim smirked. "Oh well, I'm sure we'll find a solution. After all, nothing is impossible for a Possible."

"A solution to what?" a voice asked behind them.

The ladies turned around and saw Ron bringing them their drinks.

"Oh …! Nothing important…" Kim evaded while she started to blush lightly. Fortunately, Ron didn't notice because he was setting their drinks on the table.

"Oh well, I'm sure you'll work it out." Ron said confidently. "That's what you always do. Anyway, enjoy your drinks. The snacks will be ready in some ten minutes."

"Thanks Ronald." Shego said as she raised her glass.

Ron went back to the kitchen while Shego whispered "That was a close shave."

"Maybe a little too close." Kim admitted. "I really should just talk with him about how it makes me feel to be exposed like that."

"That's probably the best idea." Shego agreed.

Not wanting to embarrass Kim any further, she decided to change the subject "Anyway, let's see how well they taught him to mix a cocktail." She said, holding up her glass.

"How about a toast?" Kim proposed.

Shego shrugged "Sure, why not? But to what?"

"You getting out of GJ Headquarters in the near future?"

"Oh, I'll drink to that, all right!" Shego enthused.

They both took a healthy drink and Shego savored the taste of her cocktail for a moment. "That's a good Screwdriver. Your boy sure does know how to mix 'em. And what's that what you're having? A martini?"

Kim nodded. "A few weeks ago, Ron decided to mix me one as a joke. It actually tastes better than beer and well, I wasn't planning on doing any driving today so no harm done."

"Why would anybody mix a martini as a joke?"

"'_Shaken, not stirred'_. Ring a bell?"

Shego grinned "The drink of secret agents. Subtle."

"I'm glad you approve." Ron said as he walked over to their table.

"You've got to stop creeping up on us like that!" Shego chided while Ron served the snacks. Several tempting smalls were rising up from them.

"I don't recognize that one." Shego said, pointing out two baggy-looking snacks. "One of yours, Kim?"

"Actually, those nacos are for me and my little buddy here." Ron explained while he seated himself next to Kim.

"I notified our hosts that you are ready for the show. It should start any moment now."

"Ah, your boyfriend will join us for the show?"

"Well, he did help defeating Amy." Kim clarified.

"It's gonna be totally radical!" Ron exulted. "Rufus has been looking out for this one for days now."

"Yeah!" The little rodent squeaked and then held his paws above his head, letting out the tiniest ferocious roar Shego had ever heard.

The green-skinned woman chuckled and shook her head. "Oh well, the more the merrier."

Then the lights in the hall were dimmed and the curtain on the stage was raised.

"Showtime!"

Later, when the lights came back up and the four of them finished applauding, Ron stood up and picked up the now empty plates.

"If you ladies will excuse me, I'll have to start preparing dinner now." He excused himself. "Do either of you want another refreshment?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind another Screwdriver." Shego requested. "And another martini for you Kim?"

"No, I'll have an orange juice now. There's still some wine with dinner, and I don't have your stomach for alcohol."

"Dinner _and_ a show?" Shego remarked "You're spoiling me Kimmie. You do realize that it will be difficult to top this birthday next year, don't you?"

"We'll see what we can do when that time comes." Kim replied evasively. "For now, let's just enjoy the moment, shall we?"

"I can live with that." Shego agreed. "So, Ronald seems to be making good on his studies, doesn't he?"

"He's good all right. Though I think he's more nervous today than he lets on. Apparently, this is the first time he's catering a whole dinner and all that goes with it."

"He's doing fine up to now." The guest of honor replied "But he shouldn't be too nervous. After all, the two of us are hardly an examination committee or critics for a restaurant guide."

Kim gave a small shrug "Well, I guess he's also a little nervous about the other dining guests."

"Other guests? Who else did you invite?"

"Oh, I didn't have to invite them. After all, they live here."

Shego nearly choked on her drink "Are you telling me Siegfried and Roy will be joining us for dinner?"

Kim nodded. "I could hardly ask them to have their dinner somewhere else, could I?"

"That would indeed be quite silly. But I can understand how that could cause some stress for your boyfriend. On the other hand, if everything goes fine tonight, he's had a great preparation for his exams."

"That much is certain. I just hope that you don't mind me inviting them for dinner."

"Of course not." Shego reassured. "As you said, this is their place. Plus, it might make for an interesting conversation, finding out whose job is more dangerous. Them working with tigers and lions, or you having to deal with me when I still worked for Drakken."

"Oh come on, that's no contest." Kim dismissed. "Of course their job is more dangerous!"

Shego shot Kim an annoyed look.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was already late in the evening when they left the estate where they had spent most of their day. Ron walked over to Kim's car, while the GJ agents led Shego to the unmarked van.

"So back to GJ, huh?" Shego said with a hint of regret.

"Actually, no" Kim corrected her. "I arranged for us to stay over at a hotel a few miles from here. The boring trip back will be for tomorrow."

"A hotel? You convinced Dr. Director to front the bill? Or did you win the lotto or something?."

"Oh, it's no big." Kim re-assured her "I've got an unlimited credit-line at the Leonne hotels. Ron and I have made use of it several times when we are on missions. I try not to use it too much of course, but today is a special occasion. Plus, I called ahead and it's the slow season anyway."

"Always the considerate person." Shego remarked with a hint of sarcasm. "But wait a second; didn't you get Camille Leonne arrested last year?"

"Yeah, but the credit-line comes as a favor for a sitch we had before that. And her dad didn't really blame us for Camille's arrest. After all, there's a reason she was disinherited."

"So, a night at a Leonne hotel, huh? Certainly will beat my bunk over at GJ. Lead on, Kimmie, lead on."

They checked into the hotel without problems shortly thereafter, and after the GJ agents had checked Shego's room, they all got ready to go to sleep.

"Er, Kimmie… before you go…" Shego walked over to Kim and gave her a firm hug. "Thanks for a wonderful day. I know that the competition isn't that great but… this was the greatest birthday I ever had."

Kim ran her hand through her hair and blushed slightly. "You're welcome."

After Shego had entered her room, Kim and Ron walked over to the room they would be sharing. They got changed with minimal conversation and quickly got into bed.

After the light had been turned off, Ron shifted closer to Kim and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He turned on his side to kiss her softly on the lips and slowly stroked her cheek. His hands ran over her face, gently following its contours.

Carefully, his fingers ran along her neck towards the swell of her breasts.

"Not now, Ron." She murmured distractedly. She laid her hand on Ron's and gently pushed it aside.

"Whah?"

"I don't feel like it now, Ron." Kim apologized half-heartedly "I'm tired from all the exercise and frankly, I've got more bruises than I care to count."

"Oh great," Ron muttered. "This is the first time we're actually in a comfortable big bed and this happens."

"We don't _have_ to have sex every time we sleep together." Kim replied, irritated.

"Of course not. But that would be easier if you actually accepted my invitations to stay over during the week from time to time."

"Can we please not do this now?" Kim slightly pled.

"Fine." He said gruffly, and rolled away on his side.

Kim crept closer to him and laid his hand on his shoulder "Ron," she whispered. "I'm not pushing you away. I'm just not in the right mood. Can you… can you please just hold me?"

Ron took a deep breath and sighed. He turned back towards Kim and embraced her warmly. Lying on his back, with Kim's head resting against his chest, his frustration from earlier melted away and he felt sorry for his reactions. He wanted to apologize to Kim, but her breathing suggested that she might already have gone to sleep. Not wanting to disturb his girlfriend any further, he relaxed listening to the rhythm of her breathing and he slowly drifted away.

Kim however wasn't asleep yet. Listening to the steady beat of Ron's heart, she felt calm and secure. This was the Ron she had fallen in love with. Her best friend forever who accepted her, no questions asked; and always was there to support her. Was it really so bad to want to hold on to that feeling?

_-- End of chapter 12 –_

AN: The start of the sparring scene was inspired by Sapphicspencil's "Sparring" art. Do yourself a favor; check out his gallery over at deviantArt.

Next… will Shego finally leave GJ custody?


	13. Ch13 Panta Rhei

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion (andarion . deviantart . com) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions and Eoraptor (here on FF Net) for beta-reading this chapter and giving me advise (lots of it) to improve my grammar and style.

AN: Okay, if everything continues as planned, I should be able to maintain this posting schedule of once every two weeks. At least, if my private life doesn't make any unexpected turns in the near future.

Thanks to all of you for your reviews and favorites on the previous chapters.

* * *

_Chapter 13 – Panta Rhei_

"Okay, what the hell did you steal in Egypt?!" Kim blurted out as she walked into Shego's quarters. "Their Interpol representative has been driving me up the wall!"

"Egypt?" Shego wondered. "Why should we care about what I did in Egypt?"

"Gee, I wonder why." Kim countered sarcastically. "Maybe because they have issued an international warrant for your arrest and we have an extradition treaty with them? Doy!"

"Wow! You're snippy today."

"Well, dealing with stubborn block-heads does that to me from time to time." Kim replied, trying to contain her frustration. "And you're not making it any easier on me if you don't cooperate. I should be at home studying for my finals, not trying to hammer out the last details on a deal that should have been closed weeks ago."

"Whoa! take it easy Kimmie." Shego admonished "I was just wondering out loud. _Of course_ I'll do everything I can to help you."

"In that case, tell me what you did in Egypt to get their representatives so pissed off with you."

"Is it that bad?" Shego wondered.

Kim gave a deep sigh "Shego, we're talking about a country where a substantial portion of the population still thinks that public executions and chopping of various limbs are a good idea."

"That _could_ be inconvenient."

"You noticed that huh? On top of that, whatever you did steal, its theft must have seriously hurt their national pride. Being the home of one of the oldest civilizations on Earth does that to people. And they don't take lightly to the looting of their national heritage."

"Okay, okay! You painted your picture." The green-skinned thief grumbled. "So, Egypt huh? Let me think for a second… There was that job I did for Monkey Fist. And last year, I had that request from a private collector. But that's all I did over there. Would they really be that gung-ho about those two jobs?"

"Could be. Do you still remember what you stole?"

"Hmmmm… the job for Monkey Fist was some kind of monkey-god idol and a papyrus that was hidden along with it. Nothing really fancy actually. No gold or gem-stones, just a stone statue and a wooden box with paper sheets. And that collector was obsessed with a collar from the Cairo Museum, so he asked me to get it for him."

"You stole treasure from the Cairo Museum?!" Kim gasped in disbelief.

"It was a pretty nice collar. Gold, inlaid with clear blue gems. I could understand why he wanted it."

"And I assume you helped yourself while you were there anyway?" Kim guessed.

"Naah." Shego dismissed. "Items from museums are too well known and documented. You can't fence those. If you don't have a client before you do the job, it's not worth the effort."

"Wouldn't you just steal it for the precious metals and gemstones? You know, dismantle them and melt them down?" Kim guessed.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Shego shot back heatedly, "Destroy priceless 3,000 year old antiquities?! If I want gold or gem-stones I'll rob a jeweler, thank you very much. I'm a professional, not some brain-dead amateur who goes for everything that glitters like some kind of frantic magpie!"

"Well, that's something at least." Kim sighed with relief. "We should be able to convince the representative that no irreparable damage has been done. And what museum did you stole those items for Monkey Fist from?"

"Actually, that wasn't from a museum but from an archaeological dig." Shego corrected "Monty read about it and was convinced that the idol and papyrus were linked to some mystical monkey power and sent for me. It was so much easier to get it while it wasn't classified and locked away in some museum somewhere."

"How did Monkey Fist find out about those?" Kim wondered.

"Well, he _is_ the world's foremost expert on all things monkey-related. And apparently, he still had access to archaeological news-letters even after you unmasked him."

"So you stole a possibly unique idol from a recently discovered archaeological site before the specialists had their chance to turn everything inside-out and catalogue every square inch in detail"

Shego nodded. "In a nutshell, yes."

"I'm afraid that's bad news." Kim sighed "The Interpol representative is the cousin of one of the most influential archaeologists in the Middle East. They probably took a theft from a research site as a personal insult."

"So, do you think this will help you with your negotiations?"

"I guess so." Kim mused. "If I can convince him that you're only guilty of those two thefts, they might be a little more reasonable."

"Good. Now that we've settled that we can start talking about what's really bothering you today."

"What are you talking about? Nothing else is bothering me." Kim protested.

"Oh come on Kimmie, you can't fool me." Shego dismissed her assertion. "I know you well enough to know that a little battle of wills with an international pencil-pusher could never frustrate you like that. There's something else going on to get you riled up like that. Something much more fundamental."

"No really. Don't worry. I'm fine."

"Oh sure." Shego scoffed. "And if I believe that, I guess you've got a bridge to sell me as well? Something in your life is messed up Kimmie. Don't try to hide it from me. What happened? Did you have a fight with your parents? Is somebody gravely ill? Or are you and Ronald going through another crisis?"

"No, it's… nothing." Kim stammered weakly "Really, it's nothing like that."

"But it _is_ something." Shego countered insightfully.

Kim didn't reply and Shego decided not to push the issue. She just waited silently, to see whether her friend would spill her soul willingly, or wanted to keep her feelings bottled up and move the conversation to other topics.

Finally, Kim sighed. "It's just… it's so stupid to feel upset about it. I mean… it was my choice and I have to live with my choice… right?"

Shego shrugged lightly, as if to say '_that depends on the_ _circumstances'_ but held out on replying until she had more details.

Kim looked at Shego and tears started to well up in her eyes. "Ron and I broke up."

"Oh… Oh God! I'm so sorry Kim!" Shego quickly got up and sat herself next to the distraught teen, laying a hand on her shoulder. "What happened? Did you guys have a fight? He didn't cheat on you, did he? Because if he did, I'm gonna fry his ass!"

"Wha…? No! No… nothing as dramatic as that." The teen re-assured her. "What happened is… well… over the last few weeks or so… both Ron and I concluded that it just… well… it wasn't working."

"It wasn't _working_? But the two of you seemed to be so happy together."

"We were happy." Kim confirmed "But… there was no passion. I mean… we went from best friends to dating but mostly, things stayed the same. It was just… Bueno Nacho night with added kisses."

"And sex, of course." Shego added helpfully.

"Well, the last few months… yeah." The younger woman agreed. "But even that was… well… plain. Not bad or boring, just… nothing special. Just… basic vanilla."

"And you wanted it to be at least with whipped cream and maybe some chocolate sauce?" Shego guessed.

Kim smiled slightly, "Something like that, yeah. I don't know. Everything we did felt like what you'd expect of a couple that has been married for ages. All nice and comfortable, but no fire."

The older woman nodded sagely. "But a fire can burn out of control and consume everything it touches."

"True. But isn't that what our youth is also about? Taking risks? Trying new things? Going places? Live!?"

"Well… there is that, of course. But isn't that what you do on a near-daily basis? All your missions and such? I actually thought that you would like some form of stability in your life."

Kim sighed slightly and nodded. "The stability of friendship, of belonging, the love of my family… yeah. That _is_ important to me. But a boyfriend… that's got to be more than that! Is that too much to ask!?"

"Of course not…"

"And it's not that I don't _love_ Ron. I do, I really do. And it's certainly much more profound than '_loving him like a brother'_ - He truly is part of me and I feel great when I'm with him. But I don't _need_ to be with him. I don't see a future for the two of us together like that. And I love him too much to lie to him. So I… I just had to be honest with him.

Shego pursed her lips. "So the two of you are still friends?"

"Oh absolutely! When we started the talk that led up to us breaking up, we were both saying practically the same. Love, yes. Future, no."

"And a lot of '_It's not you, it's me'_?"

"Actually, no… I don't think either of us said something like that. We both had variations of '_I love you too much to lie to you'_, but not that."

"It sounds like you both thought this through for a while." Shego remarked.

"Well, I can't speak for Ron, but yeah… I did spend quite some time thinking about what I did and didn't feel." Kim muttered quietly.

"It's probably for the best, then." Shego concluded.

"Then why does it feel like I've made the worst decision in my life?!" Kim suddenly exclaimed as she threw herself around Shego, sobbing uncontrollably.

Shego was taken aback by the teen's sudden outburst of emotion. Confused, not really knowing what to do, she hesitantly patted Kim on the back.

"There, there…" she whispered gently "There, there…"

Kim continued sobbing for the next few minutes while Shego said nothing, just holding her friend in a comforting embrace, giving her the chance to vent her feelings.

Finally, having regained her composure, Kim wiped her eyes and, still looking away from Shego, murmured, "Oh my God, this is so stupid! You must think I'm so silly, crying like that over something so… childish."

Shego softly laid her hand against Kim's cheek and lifted the younger woman's face, looking deep into her eyes, "No Kim. That wasn't silly at all. In fact, I would have been disappointed in you if this _hadn't_ made you sad."

"The two of you have been a couple for nearly two years. You can't just shrug that off and leave it behind you as if it were a coat that has gone out of fashion. The feelings you had for Ron... _have_ for Ron… the happiness you two shared… that will always be a part of you."

"I'm not gonna lie to you, it will hurt… for a while. But in time, the pain will go away. And you're lucky that the two of you will stay friends, so those memories will not become tainted with hate."

Shego lightly shook her head before continuing "What you two did was probably the first real _difficult_ decision you've ever had to make; but it wasn't a bad one, Kim. If you had stayed with Ron, knowing that you were actually living a lie; _that_ would have been a bad decision."

"You really think so?" Kim asked, still sniffing a bit.

"Yeah. Believe me, I should know." Shego replied with a wry smile "I've made my fair share of bad decisions."

"Surely not all of them were bad." Kim objected.

"True. Especially working for Drakken. That was probably the best choice I ever made."

"You're not serious!"

"Dead serious. After all, that's how I got to know you…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A polite knock distracted Shego from the book she had been reading.

"Come in!" She called.

Kim walked in and looked at the books scattered all over the place. "Whoa! What happened here? Your bookshelf exploded?"

"Naah. I'm looking for a quote, and I'm sure it's in one of these books."

"Er, Shego…" Kim began politely, "I know you've been cooped up in this place for a while, but there's such a thing as the internet. One search and I'm sure you'll find your quote."

"I know that. But doing it old-school gives me something to do. Besides, it's a great way to exercise your memory."

Kim shrugged. "Oh well, whatever makes you happy I guess. Anyway, if you're looking for something to read, try this one."

Kim pulled an envelope out of her bag and handed it to Shego. The green-skinned woman opened the envelope and took out a white card. She folded it open and began to read it "It is our esteemed pleasure… blah blah blah…. The wedding of… _Fernando Jésus Maria Senior Jr._? Junior is getting hitched?!"

"Not only that." Kim said with disgust "Look at the bride's name."

"_Bonita Camilla Rockwaller_." Shego read out loud. "Rockwaller… Rockwaller… Let me guess… She's the cheerleader you can't stand?"

Kim nodded mutedly.

"I thought the feeling was mutual?"

"You've got no idea!" Kim confirmed.

"Then why would she send you an announcement of her engagement? I'd guess you'd be the last person she'd care about."

"WHY??!!" Kim exploded "_Why_?! Let me tell you _why_! To rub it in, that's why! I'm sure she's sent this announcement to every person she's gone to school with. Hell, if she has their address, she'd probably send it to every person she's ever met."

"Whoa, Kim! Back off there. She's not even here!"

Kim took a deep breath and tried to relax. "You're right of course. Besides, that wasn't why I'm here."

"Ah. So why _are_ you here, then? Not that I mind you visiting me outside of your regular visiting days."

"Dr. Director wants to see you," Kim explained.

"And she sent you to get me? Better get moving, then. She usually just sends one of her goons to pick me up."

As she walked out of her quarters, Kim followed her, protesting "They're agents, Shego. Not goons."

"Oh really? Could have me fooled. Believe me, I know goons when I see them: uniforms; more brawn than brain; call "how high" when the big guy says "jump"; not a shred of original thought."

"You seem to forget that they actually fight crime, not commit it."

"_Contain_ crime, Kimmie. Not fight it. Jailers and guards aren't crime fighters. The only difference between them and your typical hench-man is that they found a way to be bullies with the blessings of the government."

"Oh come on, Shego. Now I know you're exaggerating. A prison-guard still has to follow the law. Hench-men have no such reservations."

"Yeah right. You haven't been an unwilling guest of Uncle Sam's penitentiary system, Princess. Believe me when I say that the only thing that separates those guards from your typical goon is the occasional visit from Amnesty International or the Red Cross."

"You're a cynic, Shego."

"Ya think so? Well, it's easier in the long run. I just expect the worst of people and maybe one day, I'll be pleasantly surprised when I'm finally shown wrong. Hasn't happened yet, though."

"You really expect the worst of everybody?"

Shego nodded.

"Even me? Despite all the missions I've done?"

"You kicked me in an microwave tower, didn't you?"

Kim winced and guiltily looked away. "I thought we had agreed not to mention that day again?"

"Yes we did. I just wanted to illustrate what even you are capable of, Kimmie. You are a _fantastic_ person, but when even you can lose it like you did that day, what can I expect of people who don't have your patience and noble intentions to begin with?"

"I still think you're wrong, Shego." Kim whispered as they arrived at the door to Dr. Director's offer. "Someday, somebody will show you just how wrong you are."

Shego shrugged. "You can always hope, of course."

Kim knocked and they entered Dr. Director's office.

"Ah, Miss Shego. Miss Possible. Please, take a seat."

While both young women seated themselves in front of Dr. Director's desk, the one-eyed head of Global Justice folded her hands over a stack of paper that was lying on her desk and looked at Shego.

"Shego," she finally began. "Do you have _any_ idea how much head-ache you've caused me?"

"Before or after I came here?"

"After. Decidedly after. Until you turned yourself in, you were a simple detain-on-sight job. I don't get a lot of head-aches because of those."

"'_Simple_', huh? I don't remember your people doing a lot of detaining, though."

"You know what I mean." Betty grumbled while Kim smiled at Shego's barb.

"As I said before, you managed to get a lot of people upset with you." Dr. Director continued. "Kim here found out so first-hand."

"Yeah, she gave me a real dressing-down for the jobs I did in Egypt."

"Well, at least with that info, we were able to pull Inspector Al-Zawar over the line as well. So I can finally make you an offer that should get you out of here."

"Great!" Shego exulted. "Just give me the papers and I'll pack my bags."

"Not so fast, Shego." Betty admonished. "There's still the matter of all those international warrants."

"So, this is the part where you guys are gonna tighten the thumb-screws, right?" Shego muttered, "I did provide a lot of valuable information, didn't I? And that info must have helped quite a lot of countries worldwide."

"It did." Dr. Director confirmed "But one of the problems we were confronted with is that many of those countries don't recognize the legal validity of plea-bargains."

"In other words, they want to have the cake and eat it too."

"That's another way of looking at it." Betty agreed. "Anyway, to keep a long story short, we finally managed to get all interested jurisdictions to agree with two scenarios. Which one of those two will depend on you."

Shego was surprised "You mean I have a choice?"

"Indeed. Basically, it comes down on whether you think that your plea-bargain should have been enough or not." Dr. Director clarified. "The first option is that you will stay subject to US law. In that case, your plea-bargain will be recognized by the other countries as a reason for a reduced sentence. All warrants for your arrest will be withdrawn, but the actual criminal charges will stay registered. You will be confined to house-arrest for a two year period, like you would have been if you hadn't lost your baby, and after the house-arrest has been lifted, you'll be subject to a parole period of five years."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"But…" Betty continued "You'll stay _persona non grata_ in all countries that had issued a warrant _and_ the countries they have an extradition treaty with, with the exception of the US. Basically, that would mean that you'll be confined to the States and can't travel to any other country."

"Suddenly that deal doesn't sound as nice anymore." Shego muttered. "What's the alternative?"

"The alternative would be that you perform community service in every country that has pressed criminal charges against you. After that has been done, you will return to the US where you will be subject to a parole period of two years at most. After you have successfully served your parole, all charges will be dropped and you will be able to travel the world as a free citizen."

Shego was slightly puzzled "Community service? You mean to say that I have to travel to all of those countries to sweep the streets, pick up road kill and clean graffiti?"

"Metaphorically speaking, yes." Dr. Director confirmed.

"And non-metaphorically speaking?"

"You'll be using your unique capabilities and knowledge to help the local authorities to ameliorate their defense against your former colleagues. Depending on the country you're in, this might be in the form of actually testing security systems; giving lectures or demonstrations on how a break-in might happen; providing intelligence on likely targets and observation methods, or even help to reconstruct and analyze your earlier break-ins."

"There's a certain inspector in Egypt who's _dying_ to know how you got in the Cairo Museum without setting off any alarms." Kim quipped helpfully.

"On those jobs, you'll be expected to give your full cooperation." Dr. Director continued. "However, they might ask you to perform other tasks as well. Whether you agree to those or not will be left up to your discretion."

"And what kind of '_jobs'_ might those be? Sounds like they might be dangerous if you want to shift the responsibility for them to me."

Betty nodded. "They certainly could be. The less dangerous of the two would be that you provide info on the local underworld. Who were your clients, so local authorities could try to recover stolen treasure; but also criminal organizations you might have some useful information about."

Shego muttered "Typical. They're still not satisfied after all the info I provided the first time around."

"Well, to be honest, that info was mostly limited to mad scientists and other take-over-the-world megalomaniacs." Kim clarified. "What these people are interested in, is what happens in their own back-yard: smuggling of stolen goods, illegal gambling, trafficking of narcotics, forced prostitution… things like that."

"Hey! I never got involved with stuff like that!" Shego protested.

"We know that." Betty interrupted. "But with your background, you might have some useful information on who _would_."

"Well, I might…" Shego admitted reluctantly. "I'd need to have access to local databases, though."

"If you accept such a job, I can practically guarantee that you'll get the full cooperation of local authorities _and_ our local representative."

"Oh great. So GJ would still be breathing down my neck?"

The head of Global Justice shrugged "You _are_ a high profile prisoner, Shego. I'd hate to lose you."

"I hope you'll be as concerned about my _safety_ as well." Shego countered. "Spilling the beans like this will piss of _a lot_ of dangerous people. And they do not play nice. Actually, they don't play by any rules at all."

"I'm fully aware of that, Shego. Which is also why it is completely up to you whether you provide that info or not."

"Well, if that is the less dangerous of the voluntary jobs, I wonder what the other will be. They'd ask me to go undercover to bust open a crime network?"

Dr. Director looked intently at Shego without saying a word. Surprised at the lack of answer Shego looked aside at Kim, who was watching the former thief with a hint of worry in her eyes. Finally, the young heroine nodded slightly.

"You're not fucking serious!" Shego exclaimed. "Who the hell had the bright idea to propose _that_?"

"Europol, actually." Dr. Director explained. "There have been a lot of art-thefts lately, both from museums and from private collectors, and Europol suspects most of those thefts can be traced back to a few private collectors. They hope that you might have some idea who they could be or at least, who their contact persons are."

"And why would they think that?"

"Because you work alone. You don't work through a network of buyers and sellers who all take their percentage, leaving you with only half the money. If you take a job, you'd make sure you get paid by the client directly."

"Well, you're right about that."

"And over the last few years, Europol has linked the theft of several pieces of art with your presence."

Dr. Director took a piece of paper out of the file in front of her and handed it to Shego. The reformed thief looked over the list and nodded at some points, but shook her head at several others.

"I had nothing to do with more than half of these thefts." She stated. "Especially the ones in Greece and Italy. I never committed a crime in those countries. I like to keep my holidays and my job strictly separated."

Betty shrugged. "When you're in The Hague, you can work with Europol to update that list. You don't deny all of them, though?"

"Hey, a girl's gotta eat." Shego replied. "And it's not like it's such a surprise, is it? When I first came here, I already confessed to stealing both artworks and industrial prototypes."

"Indeed. And that's exactly why Europol hopes to be able to work with you."

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, but it looks to me as if you guys have forgotten something."

"Like what?"

"Well, there's the slightly suspicious matter that I've been off the map for nearly a year and that during that period, many criminals with whom I have worked before have been arrested by Global Justice. Don't you think that _some_body out there might connect the dots and conclude that it's just a tad suspicious that I turn up out of the blue?"

Dr. Director shot a questioning look at Kim, arching her good brow.

"I didn't tell her anything, I swear!" Kim protested.

"What was that about?" Shego wanted to know.

"Just that Miss Possible brought up the same issue."

Shego shrugged. "Well, it _is_ kinda obvious. At least for people who are used to expecting the worst of others."

"Anyway. We don't foresee any problems." Dr. Director continued. "After all, we have a sworn testimony of two agents, one a local law enforcer and one of ours, that during a raid on a weapons depot in the French Alps a woman who looked suspiciously like Shego sought refuge in a building that exploded shortly thereafter. Though no body was recovered, both agents were convinced that nobody could survive such an explosion. You were listed as '_presumed dead_' in the same week our people captured Dementor."

Shego looked at Dr. Director with shock in her eyes. "But… how's that possible? Team Go; they wanted to look for me. Who else knows…"

"Oh, don't worry. Nobody knows yet. But, if you agree on the second deal, that file will be declassified... oh… somewhere next week."

"Coincidently, we also have, or rather will have, the sworn testimony of the staff of a local hospital some fifty kilometers away from the place those agents saw you die. They have been taking care of a Jane Doe who was brought in with serious burns all over her body and has since been in a coma. She will wake up from that coma early next week and only be able to speak English. After a few days of treatment, she will violently break out of the hospital, leaving behind some very tell-tale scorch-marks on the walls. "

Shego shook her head in disbelief. "It's incredible how you people can be sneakier than just about anybody I've ever known and still call yourselves the good guys."

"We try to keep all our bases covered."

"Okay, so what's in it for me?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Simple. You did plan some incentive to get me to agree with the dangerous jobs, didn't you? You didn't actually expect me to just go along with them if I can just breeze through my community service without putting my ass on the line?"

"You truly are a mercenary, aren't you?" Dr. Director intoned.

Shego just shrugged "Like the great philosopher Popeye once said – _I yam what I yam_."

"Well, it's not like we didn't anticipate this." Dr. Director continued with a sigh. "All interested parties already agreed that providing useful intel on the local underworld will result in halving your community service period on a case-by-case basis. As for the undercover operation, if you agree with that one, it will be considered as fulfilling the community service for all European countries. Also, for the duration of that operation, you will be considered as one of our operatives and receive hazard pay."

"And now the really interesting question – how many warrants for my arrest have you got and how long would said community service take?"

"Outside of the US, there have been 22 warrants filed against you, which incidentally coincides with your sworn testimony. As for the basic community service… Two months per country."

Shego slumped back a little in her chair. "Four years! That's nearly four fucking years! And how many countries would be in on that Europol deal?"

"Ten."

"So even if I would be able to get a reduction in each country and agree on the Europol deal and manage to crack it in record time, I'd be gone for more than a year, and then to add insult to injury, I come home to extended parole..."

Dr. Director nodded.

"So to recap. Basically, it comes down to staying here in the States, being cooped up but at least being above-ground and never be able to leave the country. Or being kicked out of the country for a few years and possibly risk my ass to do a job local authorities are unable to do for themselves. And getting my freedom back once everybody's happy."

"That's correct."

"And if I decide to take the overseas mission, there'll still be a GJ agent watching my every step?"

"Not every step but yes, you'll have a local representative who'll liaise with you and local law enforcement."

"Local? So Kim won't be coming along to keep me in line?" Shego wondered with a hint of regret in her voice.

"No. Despite my various offers, Kim is not an official agent of Global Justice. She has chosen to concentrate on her studies and I, for one, respect her decision to do so. I can't fault her. After all, I didn't get where I'm now on field-work alone."

"You're right of course. It just makes the second deal a little less appealing, is all."

"I understand that you need some time to make a decision. It is a pretty tough choice, after all. I would like to have an answer by the end of this month, though."

"Oh, you won't have to wait that long." Shego re-assured "The second deal might be a little less attractive, but it's still way better than the first one. I'm taking the GJ-sponsored holiday to 22 different countries."

"This is _not_ to be treated as a holiday, Shego." Dr. Director asserted. "You will be working full-time with local law-enforcement."

"Oh sure. But even they take evenings and weekends off, don't they? I mean, they won't be able to deny me about one hour of R&R a day, will they."

"Well, _that_ would depend on the local authorities. Most of them will probably want to confine you to quarters when you're not actively working for them. I guess that would be up to your local contacts."

"I'll make them see my point." Shego declared confidently, "So, when can I start to pack my bags?"

"So, you're really going then?" Kim pressed.

"Oh, absolutely. Does that surprise you?"

"Not really." Kim agreed. "I was pretty sure that you would take the deal that would actually keep you busy. It's just… I guess I'm a little selfish. It's all going so fast. First Ron and I split up. Then that card from Bonnie. The Tweebs got accepted at MIT. And now you're going away for... God knows how long."

Shego held open her hands and gave a sigh of sympathy, "Panta rhei, Kimmie."

"Panda Who?"

"No, not pan_da_… pan_ta_." Dr. Director corrected. "It's Greek. _Panta rhei kai ouden menei_. Everything changes, nothing stays the same."

Betty turned to look at Shego, "I must say, I'm impressed Shego. I didn't realize you knew the classics."

"Oh well, you can't study psychology without introductory philosophy."

"If you say so. I wouldn't know; I never chose a soft option after all." Dr. Director muttered. "Anyway, if you're certain that you'll accept the foreign mission, so to call it, I'll start making arrangements right away. You can return to your quarters, Shego. Miss Possible, if you would like to accompany her, please do."

As they walked out of Dr. Director's office, Kim turned to Shego "What was that exchange about your studies about? For some reason that seems to have irritated Dr. Director."

Shego snorted. "You remember that talk we had about my studies? During one of my earlier talks with Dr. Director, she also brought up my studies and whether my accreditations were indeed valid or not. Apparently she felt some kind of irritation that I was able to pass my exams even though I was at that time working for Drakken, while she spent years in college getting her degree."

"That's kinda petty, isn't it?"

"Of course it is. Mostly 'cause I'm the one who keeps rubbing it in. It's the only thing I've discovered so far that can tick off that cool head of Global Justice."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shego's door was standing wide open when Kim entered her quarters. The room that had become so familiar was in complete disarray. GJ personnel were busy moving furniture and Shego was overseeing the packing of the last boxes with her personal belongings.

"Checking out?" Kim joked.

"Hey Kimmie. You're early. I thought that we'd only meet with Dr. Director in…" Shego gave a quick look at her watch, "Two hours? Damn, I didn't realize it was this late already."

"Judging from the frenzy here, I'd say that's more than enough time. And here I thought I'd help you pack for the trip."

"Oh, that was done the same evening Dr. Director told me I would be getting out of here." Shego laughed, pointing at an inconspicuous travel-bag lying on her bunk.

"Kinda small for a four-year leave of absence, isn't it?"

"What can I say, Kimmie. I'm used to traveling light. Especially since for four years, my places of residence had a tendency of exploding, flooding or otherwise getting destroyed by a couple of meddling kids."

"They did have a tendency of blowing up, didn't they? I hope that never caused you to lose more precious possessions, though."

"Naah, don't worry. I never kept anything of value in Drakken's lairs. Even before we first met you. No, everything of value I have is being kept at a self-storage facility that is completely unrelated to my previous life and with the rent paid for the next ten years."

"Is that where this stuff will also go?"

"No. Global kindly offered to put all this in local storage for a modest fee. At least I'll have easy access to it once I get back."

Kim looked around at the boxes and suddenly noticed that quite a lot of them were labeled '_Baby'_

"You're keeping all that as well?" she inquired.

"Yeah. For the moment at least. Call me sappy, but I just can't get it over my heart to get rid of it now. And who knows, in a few years, it might serve as a nice present if a certain friend of mine gets herself knocked up." Shego elbowed Kim playfully.

"Yeah, as if I'm gonna be a mother in the near future. I don't even have a boyfriend, remember?"

"Oh well, we'll see what the future brings. After all, life is what happens to you while you're making other plans."

"Boy, are we philosophical today." Kim mocked.

"Yeah, well… getting out of prison does that to me."

The two of them continued chatting while they oversaw the last furniture and boxes being carried out. Shego picked up her traveling bag and the two of them walked out of the quarters where Shego had spent the better part of a year.

Almost half an hour before the appointed time, Kim and Shego knocked at Dr. Director's office.

"Only half an hour earlier than foreseen." Dr. Director remarked as both women sat themselves in front of her desk. "Looks like you've been learning patience, Shego."

"Yeah, I thought I'd make a last good impression before you let me on that plane, which I will of course I hijack and use to escape to a secret location from where I will start an unprecedented international crime spree."

Even Dr. Director cracked a smile at that joke, secretly hoping that it was indeed a joke.

She picked out a file binder from her documents and laid her hands on it "Anyway, let's get the last details here straight before I hand you over to Interpol's custody."

"As you know, you'll first go to Egypt. For some reason, they insisted on being the first to profit of your experience and since no other country objected… well, that's where you'll go."

"In every country, you will be in the custody of local authorities, and a local GJ representative will function as a liaison. For your transport from one country to another, you will be in the custody of two Interpol agents. You will usually be flown to military bases, to avoid the hassle you might encounter at an international airport. But even then, you'll probably be needing these."

Betty handed Shego a big brown envelope. "Passport with entry visa for all countries you'll be traveling to; driver's license; birth certificate; credit cards; cash in US dollars and local currency; SIM-chips for a secure line with our headquarters in case of emergency. Use it wisely."

"I wonder what alias your people cooked up for me."

"We didn't have to."

"What!? You don't mean that…" Shego tore open the envelope and snatched out her passport. She quickly flipped it open, glanced at the name and…

"I'll kill him!! I'll fucking kill him! Parole or not, as soon as I'm back, I'll burn him to a crisp!"

"Whoah, Shego! Calm down!" Kim exclaimed. "What the hell is wrong?"

"My real name! They got my real name on it! And only one person would give them my real name. Oooh… I swear….! Hego is a dead man walking!"

Kim plucked Shego's passport from her outstretched hand and looked at the name.

"Elizabeth Frances Stein?"

"Nothing wrong with '_Elizabeth'_." Betty muttered.

Shego snatched her passport back and stuffed it in the envelope. "I haven't used that damn name for more than a decade. Always '_Lizzie this'_ and '_Lizzie that'_. Even if we had never gotten these powers and become Team Go, I'd probably have gotten rid of that damn name."

"Well, you've got to admit that nobody would assume that the great Shego was actually traveling under the name of … Lizzie Stein." Kim pointed out coyly. "So when you look at it that way, it's an ideal alias."

Shego crossed her arms and huffed. "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Okay," Dr. Director stated. "Now that we have gotten this little drama out of the way, let's continue."

"These are secure e-mail addresses with one of our front operations." She said as she handed both of them a list of addresses and a key-generator. "Always use the secure web-portal to access the addresses. The addresses you have to use are rotated on a semi-random basis. The key is explained on the list, so don't lose it. Use the key-generator for the password to the mailbox. Only use _these_ mailboxes to communicate. As long as nobody knows that Shego has left her life of crime behind, any information she might have is more valuable."

While they both put their list somewhere safe, somebody was let into Dr. Director's office. Betty got up to greet the visitor and introduced him.

"Shego, this is Lieutenant Alberts. He'll be leading the Interpol delegation that will take you to Egypt."

"Miss Shego." The lieutenant spoke with a crisp English accent as he offered his hand. "I'm glad to meet you like this. You were one of the more… troublesome files I had to follow up when you were still active."

"Yeah, well… I'll try to behave myself this time. I can't make any guarantees, though."

"How droll. Did I interrupt something, Madame Director?"

"No, I was just finishing debriefing Shego on the last details." She replied as she walked back to her desk.

"Well, Shego, before I hand you over to Lt. Alberts here, there's one last matter to deal with."

Dr. Director laid the neural inhibitors on her desk and Shego looked at them with disgust in her eyes.

"Do I really need those?"

"To begin with, yes. Whether you need to continue wearing them depends on…"

"… the discretion of local authorities." Shego completed. "You do realize that I won't be able to do undercover operations with those things on, do you?"

"We already considered that." Lt. Alberts replied. "But we hope that by the time we might consider such an undercover operation, we have enough of a working relation with you to trust you without those inhibitors."

Shego sighed. "Fine. Put on those damn things."

Lt. Alberts picked up the bindinds, keyed in a code inside the restraints to set them to his finger-prints and closed them around Shego's extended wrists.

"Were there any other matters you wanted to take care of before we take off?" he inquired.

Shego shook her head. "I've got my stuff right here. Papers and clothes. That's all I need. If you're ready to go, then so am I."

The Interpol agent nodded and turned to Dr. Director. "In that case, I'll go ahead to the pilot and tell him to start the pre-flight sequence. I'll meet you in the helicopter, Miss Shego."

As the man walked out of her office, Betty got up from her desk again. "I'll accompany you to the landing-pad. It's not often that I can say goodbye to such a notorious criminal in a civilized manner."

"Plus, you want to make sure that I don't break out in the last second?"

"That too." Betty confirmed evenly while the three of them walked out of the office and entered an elevator.

"So, this is it?" Kim asked. "You're going? Just like that?"

"I'm not one for long goodbyes, Princess. It's not like it will make it any less difficult. And besides, we will stay in touch, won't we?"

Kim gave a wan smile. "Of course. But it won't be the same."

"I hate to sound trite Kimmie, after all that's your job, but I must '_pay my debt to society'_. And this is the only decent way to do so."

They arrived on the landing pad, where the helicopter that would take Shego to the government airbase was already starting its rotors.

"Well, I guess this is where we say goodbye. Thanks for the stay-over Dr. Director. I'll recommend your hospitality to all my former colleagues I might encounter, okay?"

Dr. Director smiled wanly and shook her head. "Stay out of trouble, Shego. See you in a few years."

The one-eyed woman turned and walked back to the elevator to give Kim and Shego the chance to say their goodbyes in relative privacy.

Both young women were standing in front of each other, not really knowing what to say.

Finally, Kim embraced Shego. "Take care of yourself, Shego. Things won't be the same without you."

"Don't worry, Princess. I'll be back. I swear."

Without any further words, Shego walked to the helicopter and got in. She managed to wave her last goodbye as the doors were closed.

Kim looked at the helicopter while it became smaller and smaller. Tears were running along her cheeks.

"I'll miss you."

_-- End of chapter 13 –_

Goodbye… but not farewell.


	14. Ch14 New Directions

Disclaimer: Kim Possible and related characters are created by Bob Schooley & Mark McCorkle. Copyright by Disney.

My sincere thanks to Andarion (andarion . deviantart . com) for beta-reading this story and providing me with feedback and suggestions and Eoraptor (here on ) for beta-reading this chapter and giving me advise (lots of it) to improve my grammar and style.

AN: As you see, this story isn't over yet. The stile takes a new turn in this chapter but don't worry, it's not gonna last forever.

_Chapter 14 – New Directions_

_Hey Kimmie,_

_Well, I arrived in Egypt a little later than foreseen... I convinced Lt. Alberts to make a short stop-over in England. After all, I happened to know where Monkey Fist keeps his most prized treasures and since he's basically a big rock, he didn't really object to me recovering that monkey-god I stole from Egypt._

_I must say, I was kinda surprised that Alberts agreed to it without much prompting. Despite that guy's stiff upper lip, he's actually pretty cool, a little like Stevie but without that voice that sounds like a hundred cats being skinned._

_Anyway, needless to say the people in Egypt were _quite_ happy to see me bringing those antiquities back. I'm actually treated with a little respect now. They put me up in a half-way decent hotel with a GJ agent in the room next to me. It certainly beats jail, and I've got some privacy as well._

_This morning, I visited the museum to see whether everything was still the same as before. They added some extra security cams; but if you know what to look for, the holes are there. The local guards were not happy to hear that I was basically comparing their security with a big Swiss cheese. But it's true. They rely too much on tech and not enough on insight in the human psyche. Dr. D had basically the same problem, you know. That's why you were always able to get into his lairs without tripping any alarms._

_Anyway, my demonstration is planned for the day after tomorrow. I'm guessing those guards won't believe their eyes. Truth be told, I don't think there are a lot of people besides you and me who would be able to make use of those holes they left, but still… a security hole is a security hole, and _apparently_ that's unacceptable. And after all, it might be a little presumptuous to assume that there's nobody else who can do what we do, right?_

_Fortunately, the demo will be at night. Do you have any idea how fricking hot it gets here during the day!? I don't understand why I agreed to go to Egypt in summer! And worst of all is that my preliminary schedule has me in Australia during their summer as well. Somebody over at GJ was feeling vindictive when they drew up my itinerary I guess. I mean, I like the sun but this is ridiculous!_

_Anyways, there's actually not a lot to say right now other than wishing you the best of luck with your finals. And remember to concentrate on them! (God, I'm probably sounding like your mom right now, aren't I?) What I mean to say is… I can do without your notes for a few days. I wouldn't want to be the reason you were distracted when you should have been studying._

_Later Kimmie,_

_Shego._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Shego,_

_If you think that I'm only studying these days, you're crazier than I thought. Even _I_ need some R&R._

_Also, I don't think you're far from the truth in assuming that we're the best at what we do. Only that ninja girl Ron met in Japan seemed to be able to keep up with me._

_I was happily surprised to read that you recovered those items from Monkey Fist, or at least his castle. I did some reading on Egyptian art and apparently, this monkey-god must have been pretty important if it was "guarding" a wooden box. And what was in that box is probably the real treasure. Wood was _rare_ in the Egypt of the Pharaohs. Oh well… if it's really important, we'll probably see a documentary about it on _Global Geographic_ in a few years._

_So, how did the demo go? Were they all wondering '_How the hell did she do that?'_ or was it more of a '_D'oh! I can't believe we missed that!_' experience? _

_Don't forget, I want details of all your _legal_ break-ins when you're back ;)_

_Not a lot is happening here, unless you think that studying is thrilling. Unfortunately, doing those exams is one sitch Wade won't be able to help me with._

_Anyway, I guess I gotta sign off here. My break is over and I've got some studying to do._

_Until soon,_

_Kim_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Hello again Kim,_

_I know you'd like to think that _'everything is possible for a Possible',_ but now you're coming off a little overconfident. With that attitudes you won't be making a lot of friends at Global Justice, you know (Not that I care about kissing up to them of course. Oh… hi Betty. Enjoying the show?)_

_The demo was a lot of fun, but I wasn't exactly taking an obvious route. Still, I think I've given them something to think about. They say they'll be adapting their security though, so I guess they learned a lesson from it._

_Fortunately, the local authorities were happy enough with me returning their monkey-god for them to agree to halve my time there. They did run me ragged in the last month though. Damn, Egypt is big! And it's got a lot of museums._

_Anyway, I'm leaving here tomorrow. Next stop South Africa. You'd think that the diamond capital of the world wouldn't care about a few rocks gone missing, would you? Well, think again... greedy bastards._

_So, if I'm not mistaken, you've finished your exams by now, right? How did it go? And what have you got planned for the Summer Break? Any chance I'll be seeing you in South Africa? They say it's got some interesting touristy spots as well so that could be a nice idea for a holiday, huh? I'm pretty sure I'll be there for the next two months, because my jobs in South Africa were always pretty basic. Fly in, grab some rocks to power Dr. D's latest doo-hickey and fly out again. No fancy scouting or any contacts with the underworld, so I'm afraid I won't have a lot of extra info I'll be able to share with the local authorities._

_So if you're planning to come over, I'm sure that Betty has my address._

_See you soon?_

_Shego._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Hey Shego,_

_Well, I aced my finals. It was a few weeks of hard study (and many months of reasonably tough study) but I guess I upheld the family motto. So, looks like it's gonna be a long, relaxing break for me. And for Ron as well. He also passed with flying colors. Of course, the majority of his classes were practical, but still… would you believe he actually turned out to have a talent for accounting as well?_

_Anyway, thanks for the invite, but I don't know if I can take you up on it. I'll be spending a few weeks at the Lazy C with the family. (In case you forgot, that's where we had that sitch with the mechanical horses and Drakken's silly hats) And afterwards Dr. Director says she has a mission for me. Nothing time-sensitive, so it can wait until after my stay at the Lazy C, but I've got no idea how long it could take. I guess we'll see when August comes around, huh?_

_It's good to be back at my old place though. I'm impressed at the way they've managed to reconstruct our home. If you saw it now, you'd never know that an alien invasion droid smashed it to pieces. _

_And it's good that all work on it has been finished. When summer is done, Mom and Dad will have a guest staying over for the first semester. Apparently, there's not enough lodging space in Middleton yet and the Middleton Institute for Science and Technology has asked its alumni to play guest-family for a few of the incoming exchange students. Turns out they've agreed to host somebody from Japan. _

_And here I thought they'd be happy to have some alone-time now that the Tweebs are off to terrorize those poor bastards over at MIT._

_So, I'll be here in Middleton for another day, and then it's on to Montana. And before you ask, no Ron isn't coming along this time. He said he wanted to stay in Middleton and make the best he can of his time together with little Hana. Though she isn't that little any more. Damn, those toddlers grow quickly! It was cute to see the two of them together though. Looks like he really missed her while he was away, maybe more than he missed his parents. Oh well, it's good to see him being responsible for a change._

_And tonight I'm going out with some of the old gang from Middleton High. Haven't seen most of them since I started going to college, so there's going to be some catching up to do._

_I'll let you know when I've got a better idea about what I can do later this summer, okay? In the meantime, we'll keep in touch._

_See you soon,_

_Kim._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

From: Director(a)GlobalJustice

To: alpha-list(a)Interpol

Subject: Interactions between Threat Alpha-5 and Potential Prime.

Dear colleagues,

As expected, Alpha-5 has contacted Prime and enquired about Prime's possibilities to arrange an encounter with Alpha-5 during said person's stay in Location 2.

Fortunately, social obligations have limited Prime's options to accept this invitation for the moment. However, the possibility exists that by the end of August, Prime will have acquired enough "ennui" to accept Alpha-5's offer. We all know that Prime will have no problem traveling to wherever Alpha-5 may be and we are at the moment unable to invoke a need-to-know status about Alpha-5's whereabouts.

As you all know, the main object of this operation is to confirm that Alpha-5 will indeed be able to function n society without the constant input from Prime to "readjust their moral compass." It is therefore imperative that Alpha-5 does _not_ have any personal contact with Prime before they have operated within legal boundaries for at least one year.

To these ends I propose that we present Prime with a mission that is drawn-out long enough to make traveling to Alpha-5 impractical, but still personally involving enough to keep Prime occupied and unsupecting until the beginning of the new academic year.

My plan is to disclose file RI07T005784 to Prime and request them to accompany Gamma-L while he visits colleagues in other countries. We all know that Gamma-L has requested these meetings before and this would be a great chance to both appease Gamma-L and keep Prime occupied.

If we arrange three visits a week each with a few days between each visit, Prime's social obligations should keep them occupied enough to bridge this period of inactivity.

Due to the sensitivity of this issue, it would be preferable if Gamma-L does not visit countries Threat Alpha-5 is scheduled to visit within the next year. We are therefore looking for three volunteers to accept a visit from Gamma-L under close guard by Potential Prime.

We all count on your cooperation. I realize that it's something of a sacrifice, but it's one we must be willing to make to ensure continued safety of our subjects.

Greetings.

Dr. Director

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_Hey Shego,_

_Well, I'm finally back and immediately will have to start packing to get ready for college. You wouldn't believe how much my clothes have gone out of style!_

_I'm sorry I couldn't make it to South Africa. That "favor" I did for Betty kept me running around half the globe. I'm not sure what their specialist is working on, but he sure did need a lot of data from different places. I'm seriously considering charging her the next time she's got a sitch like that. Oh well, at least it gave me time to do some sight-seeing while that geek was cooped up with his colleagues._

_There's certainly a lot that can change in just two months, though. Would you believe that Ron is dating again? He hooked up with a former class-mate of ours: Tara. Sweet girl, used to have a crush on Ron even though he was too blind to see it. Looks like old love really doesn't rust. I just hope that they'll be able to overcome being separated most of the time. She's still living in Middleton, after all. _

_Meanwhile, Mom and Dad have been getting the place ready for that exchange student I mentioned last time. I don't know anything about him yet but according to Dad, he's some kind of Japanese techno-geek who has spent most of his time with private tutors. I wonder what he'll think about the big campus at MIST._

_Speaking about Japan, isn't that your next stop? Any idea on what you can expect there? Except some serious kissing up to Mr. Nakasumi, that is!_

_Well, not much more to report here. It was just your typical lazy summer. I'll probably have to tell you more tomorrow after the exchange student arrives._

_Be well,_

_Kim_

XXXXXXXXXX

_Hey Kimmie._

_Charging money? Wow, you really _are_ growing up! _

_So, can you finally tell me who that mystery specialist is? Or is this one of those need-to-know deals Betty seems to be so fond of?_

_And your sidekick has finally found somebody to replace you, did he? I guess I should be happy for him (if you don't mind, that is) but I can't help but wonder… a sweet girl? After having been your boyfriend for nearly two years and jumping around the world by your side for God knows how long? That doesn't sound like it's a match made in heaven. I'm sorry Kim, but you're decidedly not a "sweet girl". And I find it difficult to imagine that a guy who has gotten used to being with you will be able to settle down with a sweet girl._

_Then again, I could be completely wrong and could be letting my experience with "sweet" color my opinion. _

_So, talking about squeezes… how's your love-life been lately? Remember, you want the details about my legal break-ins, I want all the dirt on your sordid escapades. "Quid pro quo, Clarice."_

_As for Japan, I'll be checking the security of all four production plants of Nakasumi Toys and their offices. So yeah, I guess they still remember me. The remainder will be mostly used to bore the local police and customs' officers about Yakuza tactics, though I seriously doubt I have anything new to offer them. Still, it's possible I might get some exercise out of it. According to Lt. Alberts, who by the way is still one of my Interpol babysitters, there are some Special Ops agents who'd like to have a closer and less painful example of my martial arts._

_Well, I hope your exchange student turns out to be okay. And in case you don't hear from me in the coming days, good luck getting settled in your dorm again._

_Until next time,_

_Shego._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kim was standing in the airport's entrance hall with her parents and the Tweebs. The flight from Japan had landed a little over half an hour ago, so their visitor should get through customs pretty soon.

"Dad, do you really _have_ to use such a low-tech method to show who we're waiting for?" Jim complained while pointing at the cardboard with their guest's name written across it.

"Yeah, how will he recognize that you're one of the greatest technological geniuses in the world if you don't stand out in this mass of people?" Tim added without missing a beat.

"And I guess you Tweebs would know a better way to announce our presence?" Kim muttered. "Something like hacking into the flight status displays?"

"Hicka bicka boo?"

"Hoo-sha!"

"Don't even think about it!" Mrs. Dr. Possible chided. "And Kim, you should know better than to give them silly ideas like that."

"Don't worry, Mom." Tim re-assured her.

"We weren't really considering it." Jim added.

"Not seriously, anyway."

"Besides, it would be _way_ too easy."

"No big."

"Hey, that's my line!" Kim complained.

"Well, it doesn't matter." Dr. James Possible interrupted his bickering children. "Because it looks like our guests have arrived."

Kim saw how two people walked out of the mass of passengers and moved in their direction. For a moment, she was stunned with surprise.

'_How could I not have recognized that name!_' she chided herself as Hirotaka made a polite bow.

"Dr. Possible-sensei. It is my esteemed honor to make your acquaintance and that of your honorable family."

James made a fair imitation of their guest's bow before extending his hand. "And it is our honor to meet you, Hirotaka. And allow me to welcome you to the United States."

"I am slightly confused though. It seems that my information was mistaken. I was under the impression that we would receive only one visitor."

"Your information was not mistaken, Dr. Possible-sensei." The young Japanese man replied. "Please allow me to introduce my sister, Yori. She still has some days to go before her classes start again, and insisted on accompanying me on this voyage. After all, we won't see each other again for nearly half a year."

"I do not wish to impose on your family, honorable Dr. Possible." Yori said demurely. "Of course, it will be my honor to stay at a motel and only see my brother during the hours of day."

James and Anne exchanged a quick look.

"Nonsense." Anne objected. "When there's place for one, there's place for two. Especially when it's for just a few days. You can sleep in Kim's room… if you don't mind the chaos of her packing for college, that is."

"It would be my honor, Dr. Possible-sama."

As the Possibles and their guests walked over to the family car, Kim slightly lagged behind and subtly motioned Yori to do the same. Soon both girls were walking a few meters behind the rest of the group.

"Is Hirotaka really your brother?" Kim inquired coyly.

Yori gave a slight chuckle. "Of course not, Kim Possible. He is my dear friend and companion from since I began my training at Yamanuchi. I do care for him like a brother, however. So what I told your honorable father, I could tell without tainting our honor."

"So why are the two of you here? Is there some grave Monkey Magic danger we should be aware of?"

"Have no fear, Kim Possible. The secrets of Yamanuchi are quite safe. And ever since Monkey Fist got himself trapped by the path of the Yono, there has been only one true master of Monkey Magic."

Kim nodded. "Ron."

"My visit here is for purely personal reasons. And Hiro-kun is indeed here to attend school."

"So, no undercover operation like last time he was here?"

"Indeed not, Kim Possible. Hiro-kun is here as part of his higher studies. During his first stay here, he became fascinated by the high level of technological advances that come out of Middleton; and that is why he requested of Master Sensei the chance to follow a semester at your highly acclaimed Middleton Institute of Science and Technology."

Kim looked at Yori with suspicion "I thought Yamanuchi was a secret ninja school. I didn't know you had technology or science in your curriculum."

"We do not, Kim Possible. However, as part of our cover in later life, we are encouraged to pursue a professional activity that enables us to function in normal society. Most of us choose to satisfy ourselves with law enforcement or specializing in martial arts. But some have other ambitions. Hiro-kun has always been fascinated by machines, which you probably noticed when he arrived here with that motorbike of his."

"Yeah, I remember that bike. How come he didn't bring it this time?"

"A bad run-in with Yakuza-enforcers in Tokyo left it beyond repair." Yori gave an exasperated sigh, as though chiding "Hiro-kun".

"I hope those thugs won't follow him here! This is my family we're talking about!" Kim exclaimed vehemently.

"There is no reason to be alarmed Possible-san. Hirotaka was in disguise at the time and nobody was able to see his face."

Kim visibly relaxed. "And why are you here? You could just as well have said goodbye to him in Japan as here in Middleton, couldn't you?"

"You are shrewd, Kim Possible. The truth is that I am here to check on the well-being of Han. Sensei wants to make sure that her development does not go faster than foreseen. It is imperative that she has a normal childhood, and her experience with the Yono might have left her more aware of her powers than she should be. I still have fond memories of Little Han, so I volunteered for that mission."

"Rrriiiiigghhht." Kim replied. "And the fact that Hana just _happens_ to live in the same house as Ron is purely coincidence? Couldn't Hirotaka have confirmed that everything is okay with Hana?"

"It is indeed a most fortuitous coincidence that I will be meeting Stoppable-san again." Yori admitted. "Especially since he is… how did you express it last time? …On the market again."

"Ah... right… Yori, about that…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shego stepped out of the bar into the Osaka night.

Her scouting mission had been reasonably successful. Though she hadn't recognized any of the local clientele, all the identifiable signs were still there. She would be able to give the local police a starting point for their undercover operation.

The attack came out of nowhere.

One darkly-clad person blocked her way, and she heard the swift steps of another, no two other persons moving behind her.

"Excuse me." She asked in passable Japanese. "Can I pass, please?"

The figure in front of her stayed silent. His only response was to take out a pair of nun-chucks. A light jingling sound confirmed that his partners behind her had done the same.

Shego considered her options, '_At least they're not guns. Oh well, I tried being polite_.'

She lifted her arm; loosely aimed it at the shadow in front of her … and nothing happened.

"Fucking binders!" she swore as the first assailant rushed her, nun-chucks twirling through the air.

Seconds before the nun-chucks connected, Shego ducked and as her attacker shot past her, she gave a quick backwards kick, catching him square in the shoulders. This sent him flying forwards and he crashed into a heap of trash.

"Damn!" Shego hissed. She'd hoped he would have slammed head-first in a wall, eliminating at least one threat.

The few seconds she had used to eliminate the direct threat and regain her position had been enough for the other two figures to close the distance, making it impossible for her to make a run for it.

Shego observed the two thugs in front of her; wary for any attack they could launch at her while she listened for the groans of her third attacker. She knew that if he got up again, the three of them might make things difficult for her, especially since she was unarmed.

Trying to even the odds, she gave a swift kick to her right. Unfortunately, her opponent swiftly ducked that kick. It looked like her attackers had wizened up and her first kick of the fight had been the only easy kick she would be able to land.

Well, the remainder of the fight would have to come to hard blows then.

She jumped at her attackers and threw a quick series of blows and kicks, meanwhile dodging and occasionally fending off the nun-chucks that seemed to come from all sides. Hardly any of her blows connected, though.

She broke of her attack and took a little distance from the two in front of her, she had been able to avoid being flanked by one of them, but that was about the only thing that was going her way in this fight. These guys were good! She couldn't remember ever hitting so much air in any fight that hadn't involved Kimmie.

Behind her, she could hear the sound of falling trash and frustrated grunts. The first goon was getting back on his feet and Shego didn't doubt that he soon would re-enter the brawl.

Shego considered her options. With her being unarmed, three armed opponents could cause serious trouble, especially if one of them managed to get behind her.

Years of experience helped her highly trained senses to scan her immediate surroundings for anything that could serve as a weapon. When she saw her option, she rushed across the alley and kicked loose a wooden flag-pole.

By the time she had picked it up, the third thug had closed ranks with the other two, though he still seemed to be a little groggy.

Swiftly twirling her make-shift staff, she waited for her attackers to make a move. The attackers seemed to be more confident with their reinforcements, but Shego felt differently about the trade-off. She was more confident about facing three armed opponents while she had a weapon, than being confronted by two of them while unarmed.

Finally the middle attacker made a dash forward, leaving his partners on either side to block her escape just as Shego had expected. With a swift downward swipe of her pole, she knocked the nun-chucks out of her opponents arm, and in the same movement, she brought the other part of the pole upward slamming it in the face of the goon who had hardly time to realize he was now unarmed.

Shego brought the pole around, slapping it against the thug's temple, and her attacker began to become weak in the knees. Instead of pushing him aside and concentrating on her two other opponents, she quickly threw the pole around her attacker, pushing it against his throat.

While her captive helplessly started to grasp at the pole and her hands, Shego addressed his partners.

"Drop those, or I'll crush his throat..." She growled.

The other two looked at each other, hesitating while they tried to assess how serious Shego was with her threat. This told Shego all she needed about her attackers and she slightly loosened the pressure on her captive's throat.

Suddenly a dry, monotonous clap sounded behind her attackers.

A shadow walked into the dim light in the alley. "Impressive, gajin. You got the upper hand much faster than I anticipated."

He snapped his fingers and a second shadow appeared next to him and Shego heard the distinctive sound of a gun being cocked.

"And now you've lost it again." The shadow remarked dryly while she heard more guns being readied behind her.

"Now, if you would be as kind as to release my associate?"

Shego let go of the pole and the thug fell to his knees, gasping for air.

"Okay, what's the big idea?" She demanded.

"Nothing special, gajin. I just wanted to invite you for a polite talk in a … shall we say… more private setting."

He snapped his fingers again and light flooded in the alley as two mini-vans turned on their head-lights.

"Please, after you." The leader invited.

Once Shego had joined her attackers in the mini-van, its doors were slammed shut and the motor roared to life, drowning out all sound from inside the van to the outside world.

"What the hell was that about, Commissioner?!" Shego raged "I could have cracked that first guy's skull against that wall I sent him into. Or have crushed the other guy's throat if I hadn't realized they were working for you."

"They are professionals, Miss Shego." The commissioner re-assured her "They were well aware of the risks and eager to volunteer for the opportunity of facing the legendary Shego in fair combat."

"Three against one!? Fair combat my foot!" Shego snorted.

"It is does indeed seem that three of my best men are hardly a match against your prowess. Would you prefer them to be four or five next time?"

Shego suppressed a smile while shaking her head wearily. "Why attack me like this? I thought we had settled on training sessions later this week?"

"So we did. And I profoundly hope that you are still willing to participate to them. However, what can a training session teach us but the limits of civilized combat? It is in situations as the one you were just in; when you thought that you were outnumbered by Yakuza enforcers who had recognized you as a traitor, that we could test the true reaches of your prowess and tactical ingenuity."

"Yeah, right. Whatever. It's still a nasty trick to play on me and on your men. Who by the way, are very good. If I hadn't gotten in that first kick, I could have had a real difficult time out there."

"I will tell them of your appreciation, Miss Shego. They are indeed the best, having trained at one of our top facilities for martial arts. But now, please enlighten me. How did you recognize that they were no threat but were, in fact my men?"

Shego gave a wry smile and started her blunt and rather cynical explanation.

_-- End of chapter 14 --_

Next… Dating, drama and demonstrations.


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